Turkey: Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Damages Homes; No Deaths or Injuries Reported

Ankara: A moderately strong earthquake struck central Turkey on Thursday, the country's disaster management agency said, causing damage to some buildings. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries. The 5.6 magnitude quake hit in the town of Sulusaray, in Tokat province, some 450 km (280 miles) east of the capital, Ankara, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency.

It was felt in neighbouring provinces, including in Yozgat, where a two-story building collapsed, the disaster agency said.

Several mudbrick and wooden homes and barns were damaged in the village of Bugdayli, near Sulusaray, according to Tokat's governor Numan Hatipoglu. Earlier in the day, Sulusaray was hit by two other earthquakes, measuring magnitude 4.7 and magnitude 4.1.

Turkey lies on active fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.

A devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of southern Turkey and neighbouring Syria last year, killing more than 59,000 people.