Turkish earthquake kills 38

Some 38 people have been killed after a strong earthquake hit Turkey this morning.

Bekir Yanilmaz, the mayor of Kovancilar, says the people had died in three villages in Elazig province.

The magnitude-6 quake struck Elazig, 340 miles east of the capital Ankara, at 4.32am local time (2.32am Irish time) and was centred near the village of Basyurt, the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said.

It was followed by some 20 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 4.1.

The quake was felt in neighbouring provinces of Tunceli, Bingol and Diyarbakir where residents fled to the streets in panic and spent the night outdoors.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the North Anatolian fault.

In 1999, two powerful earthquakes struck north-western Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.