Quake of 5.2 hits Istanbul, second in days

ISTANBUL, Oct 24 (Reuters) An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit northwestern Turkey today and was felt in Istanbul, just days after another quake of the same size in the area, Turkey's earthquake monitoring centre said.

No injuries or damages were reported.

The quake's epicentre was in the Sea of Marmara, which lies alongside Istanbul, and the shocks were briefly felt in Turkey's largest city of 12 million residents.

On Friday another small quake hit the province of Balikesir, which lies across the Marmara from Istanbul, but there were no injuries.

Turkey, which lies on a major fault line, has suffered devastating earthquakes in the past and in August 1999 nearly 18,000 people were killed in a quake, also in the northwest.

Istanbul residents are jumpy as scientists have predicted a major earthquake is likely to hit in the next 30 years.

REUTERS AB KP2028