21 killed, hundreds wounded as quake rattles Turkey

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 21 people have been killed and more than 900 others injured as a result of a massive earthquake in eastern Turkey.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked sparsely-populated areas on Friday, according to Turkish media reports. Rescue teams from neighbouring provinces were dispatched to affected areas, working in the dark with floodlights in freezing temperatures.

About 30 building collapsed because of the quake, which centred on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province. Residents were sent rushing into the street, the BBC reported.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said more than 200 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake.

It said 17 people had died in Elazig province, while the official count in Malatya is four. Beds, tents and blankets were to the area, where overnight temperatures regularly fall below zero.

sa/mud