Ankara, March 08: A moderate to strong earthquake struck eastern Turkey on early Monday, seismologists said, but there were conflicting reports on its precise magnitude. There was no immediate word on damage or casualties.
The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center initially reported the earthquake with a 6.2-magnitude, but the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the earthquake had a less powerful 5.6-magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had a 5.9-magnitude.
The earthquake struck about 21 kilometers (13 miles) south-southeast of the city of Elazig around 4.32 a.m. local time. The quake was centered about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) deep, making it an extremely shallow earthquake.
There was no immediate word on damage or casualties from the earthquake, which was unusually powerful for the region. No tsunami warnings were issued because the epicenter of the earthquake was located on land, and the magnitude would have been too low to spark a tsunami threat.
–Agencies–