Quake of 6.0 Magnitude Hits Off Southwest Turkey

An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit off southwestern Turkey on Sunday, said the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory, as the local health director reported six to seven injuries but no deaths.

The quake, revised down from an initially reported magnitude of 6.1, struck at 1244 GMT off the small holiday resort of Oludeniz near Mugla province, said the institute.

Provincial health director Cihan Tekin said six to seven people had rushed to hospitals.

"According to information provided to us, six or seven people were admitted to hospitals. They jumped in panic from balconies or windows," he was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.

"But we haven't received any information about any death," he added.

The mayor of Oludeniz, Keramettin Yilmaz, told the private NTV television network that the quake had caused material damage but that he had no immediate reports of casualties.

Turkey is crossed by several fault lines.

A powerful quake shook eastern Turkey on October 23 last year, killing more than 600 people. It was followed on November 12 by a 5.6-magnitude tremor that killed another 40 people in the same area.

In 1999, two strong quakes in heavily populated and industrialized parts of northwest Turkey killed 20,000 people.