A magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook western Turkey's Aydın province, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Friday.

The earthquake hit the Aegean Sea off Kuşadası district at 6:38 p.m., AFAD said.

It was also felt in nearby Izmir province and its districts, reports said.

Turkey is among the world's most seismically active countries as it is situated on a number of active fault lines. In the most recent earthquake-related disaster, more than 600 people died in October 2011 in the eastern province of Van after a 7.2 magnitude quake and powerful aftershocks. The most potentially devastating fault line in Turkey is the Northern Anatolia Fault (NAF), where the Anatolian and Eurasian plates meet.