Image copyright Getty Images at least
people have been killed and hundreds hurt in a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey, officials say.
The 6.8 magnitude quake, centered on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province, caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street.
Tremors were also felt in neighborhooding Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
Earthquakes are common in Turkey – about , 18 People died in a massive quake in the western city of Izmit in .
Friday’s quake struck at about
. : (local time) : (GMT).
According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), there were aftershocks recorded after the earthquake.
The governor of Elazig said eight people had died in the province, while the governor of neighbor Malatya said six died there.
TV pictures showed emergency services frantically searching collapsed buildings for survivors.
Image copyright Reuters
It was very scary – furniture fell on top of us. We rushed outside, “AFP news agency quoted 55 -year-old Melahat Can, who lives in the city of Elazig, as saying. The region struck by the quake, some 823 km ( miles) east of the capital Ankara, is remote and sparsely populated, so details of damage and fatalities could be slow to emerge.
Officials have sent beds, tents and blankets to the area, where overnight temperatures regularly fall below zero.
Sivrice, a town of about 4, people, is a popular tourist spot on the shore of Hazar lake, the source of the river Tigris.
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