Ankara hit by 5.7 magnitude quake but no damage: officials

ANKARA - A quake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale Thursday jolted the Turkish capital Ankara and its surrounding areas but there were no reports of casualties or damage, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The tremors began at 11:48 (0948 GMT) and its epicentre lay in Bala, some 70 kilometres (44 miles) southwest of the capital.
"According to preliminary information that we have, the quake has not claimed any victim," said Ankara's governor Kemal Onal.
Earthquakes frequently strike Turkey sometimes with catastrophic results. Two earthquakes killed 20,000 people in August and November 1999 in the industrial northwest.
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12/20/2007 11:21 GMT