Ankara (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A strong earthquake struck in eastern Turkey this morning, causing at least 38 deaths. The government's Crisis Center said that the victims are concentrated in some villages, where the earthquake caused the collapse of many houses and minarets. Rescue teams are working to free the victims remained buried under the rubble.
The Kandilli observatory in Istanbul said the quake had a magnitude 6.0 and its epicenter was at Basyurt in the province of Elazig. The biggest quake occurred at 4:32 local time, followed by other aftershocks of magnitude 4.0. The earthquake was felt in the neighboring provinces of Tunceli, Bingöl and Diyarbakır.
According to early reports, there are at least four children among the victims, about 50 people were injured, 10 very serious.
Turkey is an earthquake-prone region and each year there are shocks. One of the most devastating was that of Marmara, west of the country, which in August 1999 left 20 thousand dead.