ANKARA, Oct. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale rocked part of western Turkey on Monday, said the semi-official Anatolian news agency.

    There were no immediate words on casualties or damage so far. The earthquake was felt in Aegean city of Izmir in western Turkey and nearby regions, it reported.

    Earthquakes are common in Turkey, which is criss-crossed by geological fault lines. A massive quake in August 1999 killed 18,000 people in an industrial area of northwestern Turkey near Istanbul.

    Turkey sent search-and-rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Pakistan last week, where an October 8 massive earthquake killed nearly 40,000. Enditem