22 killed in Turkish Earthquake

22 people have reportedly been killed and more than 1,000 injured in an earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey. The quake with a depth of 6.7 kilometres struck near the town of Sivrice, in Elazig province, collapsing at least 10 buildings, at about 17:55 GMT.

Confirming the sad event, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that all measures were being taken to “ensure that the earthquake that occurred in Elazig and was felt in many provinces is overcome with the least amount of loss.”

In a preliminary report by the Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the earthquake lasted for 40 seconds, with fifteen aftershocks felt in the wake.

Turkey has a history of being rocked by powerful earthquakes. In 1999, thousands were killed when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the western city of Izmit. In 2011, more than 500 people were killed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the eastern city of Van.