6.8 quake collapses buildings, kills 18

Turkish officials say at least 18 people have been killed in an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 that shook the country’s east, injuring more than 550 and leaving several people trapped in collapsed buildings.

The earthquake struck near the town of Sivrice in eastern Elazig province, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said Friday.

People in Elazig whose homes were damaged or were too afraid to go indoors were being moved to student dormitories or sports center amid freezing conditions.

The quake struck at 8:55 p.m., AFAD said. It was followed by several aftershocks, the strongest with magnitudes 5.4 and 5.1. Elazig is 465 miles east of the capital, Ankara.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, who traveled to the afflicted area together with Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, said 13 people were killed in Elazig, including two people who suffered heart attacks, and five others died in Malatya. A total of 553 people were hurt, including 11 who were in serious condition.

Kaldirim said a fire broke out in a building in Sivrice but was quickly brought under control.

Earlier, Soylu told NTV television that rescuers were trying to reach survivors after a four or fivestory building that collapsed in the town of Maden, in Elazig. As many as 30 buildings collapsed across the region, officials said.

Local administrator Cuma Telceken said up to seven people are believed to be trapped inside two collapsed buildings in Maden. Television footage showed rescuers searching for survivors among debris.

Soylu was at a meeting on earthquake preparedness when the quake struck.

Rescue teams from neighboring provinces were dispatched to the affected areas, Anadolu Agency reported. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said troops were on standby to help if they are needed.

The Kandilli seismology center in Istanbul said the quake measured 6.5., while the U.S. Geological Survey gave the preliminary magnitude as 6.7, and said the quake affected not only Turkey but also Syria, Georgia and Armenia.

Different earthquake monitoring centers frequently give differing estimates.

NTV said the earthquake was felt in several Turkish provinces and sent people running outdoors in panic.

Turkey sits on top of two major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. Two strong earthquakes struck northwest Turkey in 1999, killing around 18,000 people.

A magnitude 6 earthquake killed 51 people in Elazig in 2010.