Thaindian News

ANKARA (BNO NEWS) — A strong earthquake tumbled scores of buildings in the eastern Turkish province of Elazig on early Monday, killing dozens of people as they were sleeping inside their homes. Others have been injured while an unknown number of people remain trapped under the rubble.

The earthquake struck at 4.32 a.m. local time, when most people were asleep inside their homes. The Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute of Bogazici University said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) deep, making it an extremely shallow earthquake. Shallow earthquakes often tend to cause more serious damage. The epicenter was located about 21 kilometers (13 miles) south-southeast of the city of Elazig.

Kovancilar Mayor Bekir Yanilmaz said at least 57 people had been killed in villages near the epicenter, where scores of homes had collapsed. The office of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said nearly 100 others had been injured, some of them sustained serious injuries. An unknown number of people also remain trapped under the rubble.

Erdogan’s office said more than 300 search-and-rescue personnel and medics have been deployed since the earthquake, and urged residents not to enter damaged structures. The Red Cross also immediately provided 230 tents, 1,000 blankets, 20 mobile homes, 2 mobile kitchens and 20 staff members. “Search and rescue and relief efforts are continuing,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

The earthquake was followed by a series of at least 40 small aftershocks, which may continue for weeks or months. The strongest aftershock struck at 9.47 a.m. local time and had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5. Its epicenter was located about 15 miles west-southwest of Bingol, or 55 miles east of Elazig.

The region was also struck by a strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake on May 1, 2003. That earthquake killed at least 176 people and injured more than 520 others. Some 625 buildings collapsed or sustained heavy damage in the 2003 quake, while thousands more sustained light to moderate damage.

Another earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, struck western Turkey on August 17, 1999. The quake killed more than 17,000 people and left tens of thousands of others injured. A second earthquake hit the exact same area only months later, killing hundreds of people.