The earthquake registered 5.1 magnitude, with shaking felt in Western Turkey and parts of Greece. Istanbul, located hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre, was also rattled this evening. One witness said on Twitter: “It was felt in Kusadasi, it was really terrifying. Hope the last one is not the quake before the big shock.”
Witnesses have recorded their experiences on earthquake-tracking website EMSC-CSEM. One said: “Very terrible.”
Another said: “It lasted for 30 seconds and was very fierce.”
A third said: “Everything in my home rattled.”
One resident of Karacabey, some 150 miles from the epicentre, said he did not experience strong shaking but did feel like he was “sitting on a boat in a wave”.
No reports of injuries or damage have been reported.
The earthquake was intially registered by EMSC-CSEM as 5.6 magnitude before being downgraded to 5.1.
The US Geological Society said some buildings in the area are protected against earthquakes.
They said: “Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction.
“The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and dressed stone/block masonry construction.”
While no injuries have been confirmed, USGS’s automated analysis indicates few if any damage or injuries will be recorded.
Their analysis of the earthquake said there was a 65 percent chance no-one has been killed and a 100 percent chance the cost of damage will be between 0 and 1 million US dollars – the lowest rating.