At least 7 dead, several injured as powerful earthquake hits Turkey

ISTANBUL: At least seven people died and several others were stuck under collapsed buildings in southeastern Turkey after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted areas on Sunday.

According to the Turkish interior minister, seven people died and several others were stuck under collapsed buildings while rescue teams arrived in earthquake-hit areas and rescue operations are underway.

Citing the details of the casualties he said three of those killed in the shallow tremor were children and five people were injured.

Minister Suleyman Soylu added that some 1,066 buildings were collapsed. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority had begun rescue work; Soylu added 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). Turkish reported that the quake-affected about 43 villages in Turkey, which has a history of powerful earthquakes.

Earlier, in eastern Turkey killed more than 40 people while another in Iran did structural damage to homes without causing any fatalities.