ELAZIG – A powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, killing at least 20 people.
The 6.8-magnitude quake shook Elazig province, around 550 km (340 miles) east of the capital Ankara. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks.
Sixteen people were killed in Elazig and four more in the neighboring province of Malatya, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Saturday. Around 920 injured were in hospitals in the region, it added.
Turkey has a history of powerful earthquakes. Over 17,000 people were killed in Aug. 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude quake struck the western city of Limit. Around 500,000 people were made homeless.
In 2011, an earthquake struck the eastern city of Van and the town of Ercis, killing at least 523 people.(Reuters)
