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Strong quake hits eastern Turkey Strong quake hits eastern Turkey
(10 minutes later)
A strong earthquake has struck eastern Turkey, killing at least 38 people, officials have said. A strong earthquake has struck eastern Turkey, killing at least 41 people, officials have said.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the village of Basyurt in Elazig province at 0432 (0232 GMT). It was followed by several aftershocks. The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the village of Basyurt in Elazig province at 0432 (0232 GMT). It has been followed by more than 30 aftershocks.
The mayor of the town of Kovancilar, Bekir Yanilmaz, said there had been deaths in the nearby villages of Okcular, Yukari Kanatli and Kayali. Elazig Governor Muammer Erol said the majority of deaths had occurred in the nearby villages of Okcular, Yukari Kanatli and Kayali.
Rescue teams have been deployed amid reports of people trapped under rubble.Rescue teams have been deployed amid reports of people trapped under rubble.
At least 60 people have been taken to hospital, officials say. Mr Erol said many people in the affected villages lived in mud-brick homes built on hillsides, which were especially prone to collapse.
Elazig Governor Muammer Erol said the earthquake had toppled the minarets of mosques in Basyurt-Karakocan, Yukari Kanatli and Kayali. Everything has been knocked down - there is not a stone in place Yadin ApaydinAdministrator for Yukari Kanatli
"The number of people injured is not clear. Ambulances keep on going back and forth," he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. "Villages consisting mainly of mud-brick houses have been damaged, but we have minimal damage such as cracks in buildings made of cement or stone," he told CNN Turk television.
"Rescue work is continuing. Our gendarmerie and civil defence teams are at work," Mr Erol added. At least 17 of the dead came from the largest village, Okcular, where up to 30 houses collapsed, rescuers said.
"The village is totally flattened," Okcular's administrator, Hasan Demirdag, told NTV.
Yadin Apaydin, the administrator for Yukari Kanatli, also said his village had been devastated.
"Everything has been knocked down - there is not a stone in place," he told CNN Turk.
At least 100 people have been taken to hospital, officials say. Some were reportedly hurt during the panic after the first earthquake, when they jumped from windows or balconies.
The local disaster management centre has already sent blankets and tents to the area to provide emergency shelter for survivors.
Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and three other ministers are also travelling to the earthquake zone to provide assistance.
Turkey is plagued by earthquakes - generally minor - because of its location on the North Anatolian fault line.
A 7.4-magnitude tremor which hit the western city of Izmit in August 1999 killed more than 17,000 people.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says poor quality buildings were also blamed for the high death toll then and there is still concern in Turkey's largest city, where seismologists predict a major earthquake will occur within the next few decades.