ISTANBUL, Aug 12 Seismologists reported on Saturday about three earthquakes of magnitude above 4 in the Turkish province of Malatya in the southeast of the country, which occurred in less than two hours.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 occurred in Malatya on Friday.
According to the Department for Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, the epicenter of all three earthquakes lay near the city of Yeshilyurt: the first with a magnitude of 4.8 occurred at 16.39 (the time coincides with Moscow time), the second with a magnitude of 4.5 at 16.40. A third earthquake of magnitude 4.2 shook the province at 18:18. The epicenter lay at a depth of 6 to 9 kilometers.
The head of the department, Yunus Sezer, said after the first two earthquakes that no casualties or damage were recorded, and the head of the Ministry of Health, Fakhrettin Koca, also confirmed the information about the absence of wounded.
The well-known Turkish seismologist Naji Gerur did not rule out that a new fault has formed in the Malatya region, since it is not marked on the maps, and earthquakes in the city area are becoming more frequent.