Magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes Mediterranean Sea

ANKARA

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 shook the Mediterranean Sea off the southwest coast of Cyprus island early on Feb. 3, Turkey’s disaster management agency has said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The tremor struck at 00:04 a.m. and its epicenter was 136 kilometers off Turkey’s Antalya province at a depth of 24 kilometers, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

The quake swayed settlements in Cyprus and was also felt in Turkey’s southern provinces.

“I talked to our head of civil defense; no problems were detected,” said Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on social media following the quake.

The quake is assessed to be an aftershock of the large, magnitude-6.5 temblor that occurred in relatively the same area off Cyprus on Jan. 11.

That quake caused no damage, but it shook some people out of their beds in both Cypriot states and prompted a few to spend the night in their cars for fear of a recurrence.