Earthquakes disturb Turkey's third largest city

Two moderate earthquakes jolted Turkey's third-largest city of Izmir on Monday, the latest in a series of tremors in the Aegean sea that have sent terrified residents out in the streets in panic.

The quakes, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 and 4.2 were centered off the town of Seferihisar in the Aegean sea and struck at 0526 GMT and 0648 GMT, the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

Izmir has been shaken by four strong earthquakes in the past two weeks. About 30 people were injured when they jumped from windows or balconies in panic.

Experts had warned that the tremors would continue. Earthquakes occur frequently in Turkey, which lies atop active faultlines. Two major earthquakes in 1999 killed some 18,000 people and devastated large parts of northwestern Turkey, the AP reports.

V.Y.