A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck has struck off the southeastern Greek island of Rhodes, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries on Wednesday.

The quake was also felt in the nearby Turkish provinces of Mugla, Izmir and Antalya, with Turkey’s AFAD emergency management agency saying it had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4.

It is common for different seismological institutes to record variations in magnitude in the initial hours and days after a quake.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Turkey either although the earthquake caused panic in Mugla province, HaberTurk television said, with residents rushing out of buildings.

Dalyan town is situated near Dalyan River, where the mouth of the delta meets the Aegean Sea. The area is a national conservation site for three varieties of turtles with over 100 species of birds near the Ancient City of Caunos. Photo: AAP via EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU

The undersea quake struck at 2.37pm Greek time and had an epicentre nearly 400km southeast of Athens and 58km southeast of the Rhodes town of Lindos, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

Greece and Turkey lie in a highly seismically active region and experience hundreds of earthquakes each year.

The vast majority cause no injuries or damage.

Source: AAP