The earth trembled in eastern Turkey on Friday (January 24th) when an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale occurred, Turkish officials said. At least fourteen people died in the disaster, according to a provisional assessment.

The earthquake took place in the district of Sivrice, in the province of Elazig, around 8:55 p.m. local (5:55 p.m. GMT), according to the Government Agency for Disaster Situations (Afad). The American institute USGS measured the shock at 6.7.

Collapsed buildings, panicked residents

Afad said that, according to a provisional assessment, at least fourteen people had died, eight in the province of Elazig and six in the neighboring province of Malaty.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu told the official Anadolu news agency: "We hope there will be no other victims". According to him, buildings have collapsed in the region.

Turkish television broadcast images of panicked residents rushing outside the buildings, and at least one building with a burning roof.

Afad said that at least thirty aftershocks of the earthquake had been recorded during the day on Friday and that more than 400 teams of rescuers had been dispatched on the spot.

"We have dispatched four teams to the region," Recep Salci of the Turkish Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) told AFP. "We have learned that buildings have collapsed, and we are preparing to send other teams if necessary."

The earthquake was felt in several regions of eastern Turkey, including Tunceli, said the TV channel NTV.

The main Turkish telecommunications companies announced Friday that they will provide residents of affected areas with free telephone and internet services.

Fear of a big earthquake in Istanbul

Turkey, located on several fault lines, is frequently affected by earthquakes. In 1999, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the east of the country, killing more than 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul.

In September, an earthquake measuring 5.7 hit the country's economic capital.

Experts believe that a major earthquake can affect this city of more than 15 million inhabitants at any time, where the often anarchic habitat is rarely earthquake-resistant.

With AFP

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