A moderate earthquake shook southeastern Turkey on early Friday, injuring 28 people after they fled their homes in panic, the private CNN-Turk television channel reported.

The quake, measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, occurred at 4:22 a.m. (0222 GMT) in Sivrice town of Elazig province, the Istanbul- based Kandilli Observatory said.

The quake was felt in neighboring provinces and many inhabitants of Elazig, some 750 km southeast of Turkey's capital of Ankara, rushed out of their homes in fear of being trapped, the Elazig governor Muammer Musmal was quoted as saying.

A total of 28 people were hospitalized after jumping from balconies and windows, the governor added.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey which lies on active fault lines. Two devastating earthquakes in 1999 killed more than 18,000 people.

Source: Xinhua