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Seven people died and others were stuck under collapsed buildings in southeastern Turkey on Sunday after a magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck near the border with Iran, the Turkish interior minister said as rescue teams arrived in villages.
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Three of those killed in the shallow tremor were children and five people were reported injured, according to Minister Suleyman Soylu. He added that some 1,066 buildings collapsed.
Turkish TV footage showed people digging through rubble with shovels as well as crumbled exterior walls of homes, cracks in roads and residents outside in the snow.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake had a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles). Iranian officials said it had been felt in Iran but that there were no immediate reports of deaths.
Turkish public broadcaster TRT World said the quake affected about 43 villages in Turkey, which has a history of powerful earthquakes. There were also reports of building collapses in the Turkish city of Van.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority had begun rescue work, Soylu said.
At least seven Turkish citizens were killed in a 5.7 magnitude earthquake at 05:52 GMT on Sunday in eastern Turkey near the border with Iran, Turkish Minister of Internal Affairs Suleiman Soilu said on Sunday. Iran has not yet reported injuries or fatalities. pic.twitter.com/r4FZP3V0TI
— Daniel Rád (@DanielKRad) February 23, 2020
Crisscrossed by major fault lines, Iran and Turkey are among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
