Earthquake rattles southeastern Turkey

An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude rattled cities in southeastern Turkey on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the disaster agency said.

The quake, which occurred at 10:40 am (0740 GMT) was centred just north of the city of Sanliurfa, Turkey's AFAD disaster agency said, adding "there are currently no reports of adverse effects".

Hasan Silda, governor of Sanliurfa province, said the quake had been felt "intensely".

"According to initial reports, there are no casualties or injuries. There is no destruction. There may be some partial damage to buildings," he told NTV private television.

Turkey is crisscrossed by several geological fault lines that have previously caused catastrophes in the country.

A massive quake in February 2023 killed at least 53,000 people in southeastern Turkey and around 7,000 others in Syria, that also caused damage and more than 300 deaths in Sanliurfa.