Magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocks southern Türkiye's Adana
People on the streets following the earthquake, in Adana, southern Türkiye, July 25, 2023. (DHA Photo)


A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit Tuesday southern Türkiye's Adana province at 8.44 a.m. local time (5.44 a.m. GMT), the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) confirmed.

The epicenter was said to be in the city's Kozan district. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 11.27 kilometers (7.5 miles), AFAD said.

The quake felt in the city center and surrounding districts caused panic among the citizens who rushed to the streets.

According to the preliminary reports, no severe damage and casualties were registered.

The earthquake in Adana comes some five and half months after a pair of devastating quakes that impacted vast swathes of the country's southeastern region and killed at least 50,000 people.

Following the 5.5 magnitude tremor, three minor aftershocks occurred, the local media reported. The quake was reportedly felt in nearby Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, and Mersin provinces.

Another tremor of 4.4 magnitude hit the same district in Adana at 10.57 a.m. (7.57 GMT), the AFAD said.

Professor Orhan Tatar, head of the risk reduction department at the AFAD in a statement following the earthquake, noted that the 5.5 magnitude quake can be considered as the aftershock of powerful Kahramanmaraş-centered tremors from early February.

"There are no negative reports in the information received so far, the scanning is in progress. We stated these tremors would continue after the Feb. 6 earthquake," he noted.

Meanwhile, after the first determinations on the ground, it was found that a deserted building in Kozan’s Tufanpaşa neighborhood was damaged because of the earthquake. On the other hand, there was minor damage to some workplaces in the district.

"All teams of our relevant institutions, especially AFAD, continue their field scans. So far, no notification has been made to the 112 Emergency Hotline regarding loss of life and property," said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.