An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4 struck near the north-western Turkish city of Bursa on Wednesday, sending tremors across Istanbul, though there were no immediate reports of damage.

According to the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory, the quake’s epicentre was near the town of Gemlik, roughly 80 kilometers south of Istanbul.

The tremor was felt strongly on both the Asian and European sides of the city, home to around 16 million people.

Broadcaster Habertürk reported that the quakes caused panic in Gemlik, which had also experienced two additional moderate quakes a day earlier, on Tuesday.

Turkey, located on active seismic fault lines, is prone to frequent earthquakes. Experts continue to warn of the high likelihood of a major quake hitting the Marmara region, which includes Istanbul.

However, Wednesday’s quake did not occur on the main fault line running just off Istanbul’s coast, the same fault line expected to trigger a long-overdue magnitude 7 earthquake.

In April, Istanbul experienced a stronger quake measuring 6.2, adding to concerns over the city’s seismic vulnerability.

(NAN)