It’s been a shaky weekend for several countries around the world, with moderate earthquakes reported in Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand. No serious injuries or property damage has been reported.
Turkey
An earthquake measuring 5,3 on the open-ended Richter scale shook north-western Turkey early on Sunday, seismologists said, but there were no reports of casualties or major damage.
The quake was centred on a rural area in the Bala district of Ankara province and struck at 9.45pm GMT on Saturday, the Kandilli seismology centre in Istanbul said.
It was followed by a series of aftershocks.
Authorities quoted by the Anatolia news agency said there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, where about 20 000 people were killed in two massive tremors in August and November 1999.
Japan
An earthquake measuring 4,7 on the Richter scale shook central Japan on Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake occurred at 5.53am GMT in Yamanashi prefecture, about 95km west of Tokyo, with its focus located 20km underground, the agency said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or any property damage.
On Saturday, an earthquake measuring 4,7 on the Richter scale also shook northern Japan, but there was no risk of a tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The quake occurred at 8.50am GMT in Iwate, about 450km north of Tokyo, with its focus located 50km below the seabed, the agency said.
There were also no immediate reports of injuries or property damage.
Taiwan
An earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan on Sunday, seismologists said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The quake struck at 2.45am GMT, with an epicentre 17km north-east of the eastern Hualien county. It originated 22km underground.
Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is shaken regularly by earthquakes. The country’s worst, measuring 7,6 on the Richter scale, struck in September 1999 and left 2 400 people dead.
Indonesia
A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Hong Kong seismologists said on Sunday. No damage or injuries were reported.
The tremor struck late on Saturday and was recorded in Hong Kong at 3.18pm GMT on Saturday, the Hong Kong Observatory said in a statement. It was centred off the coast of northern Sumatra, about 100km west-southwest of Banda Aceh, the statement said.
Indonesia has been repeatedly rocked by quakes since the massive temblor on December 26 that produced a deadly tsunami. The Indian Ocean disaster killed more than 200 000 people in 11 countries, and left about 50 000 missing and hundreds of thousands homeless.
New Zealand
The top of New Zealand’s South Island has been shaken by two moderate earthquakes but no damage was reported, officials said on Saturday.
The earthquakes were centred on the prime grape-growing region of Blenheim.
The first tremor of 4,1 on the Richter scale occured on Friday and was followed by a jolt of 3,8 on Saturday, the Department of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said. — Sapa-AP, Sapa-AFP