Moderate Quake Jolts Central Turkey

ANKARA, July 21 (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the open-ended Richter scale hit the central Turkish province of Kirikkale Wednesday, but there were no reports of casualties.
The epicenter of the tremor, which struck at 12:14 am (0914 GMT), was at the town of Keskin, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of the capital Ankara, the Istanbul-based Kandilli seismological institute said.
"There is nothing negative so far. Our inquiries are continuing," Kirikkale Governor Mustafa Bahrettin Demirer told Anatolia news agency.
Security forces were combing local villages for any possible damage, he said.
Panicked residents of Keskin and the neighboring town of Akpinar poured into the streets after the quake, Anatolia said.
Turkey is crossed by several major fault lines, and earthquakes are a frequent occurrence.
On July 2 a quake measuring 5.1 points on the Richter scale hit a rural area of eastern Turkey, killing 18 people.