ANKARA, Jan 25 (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale rattled eastern Turkey on Tuesday, with no immediate reports of casualties.
The epicenter of the tremor, which struck at 6:44 pm (1644 GMT), was at the town of Hakkari in Turkey`s southeastern corner, several kilometers (miles) from the borders with Iran and Iraq, according to the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory.
Two other quakes, which measured 4.8 and 4.4 respectively, preceded the tremor, Kandilli said, correcting an earlier statement that the epicenter of the first quake was located in the town of Baskale in the neighboring province of Van.
The quake caused panic among residents in both regions, sending them running into the streets, Anatolia news agency reported.
Cracks appeared in the walls of the state hospital in Hakkari, it said.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, where some 20,000 people were killed in two massive tremors in August and November 1999.
01/25/2005 17:54 GMT - AFP