By Xinhua
Ankara : An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted the Turkish capital of Ankara at small hours Thursday, without immediate reports of damage and injuries.
The quake, which was centered in the town of Bala, nearly 80 km south of Ankara, occurred at 01:47 a.m. local time (2347 GMT Wednesday), the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory and Seismology Institute said.
The tremor, which lasted about 25 seconds, could be strongly felt in the center of Ankara, waking up residents from sleep.
On Dec. 20, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 also shook the Bala town, but caused no casualties.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey which lies on active fault lines. Two devastating earthquakes in the country in 1999 killed more than 18,000 people.