At least 57 dead in Turkey earthquake

A strong earthquake hit eastern Turkey today, killing at least 57 people and knocking down houses in three small villages, the government said.

Mayor Bekir Yanilmaz, of the town of Kovancilar, said the victims were from the villages of Okcular, Yukari Kanatli and Kayali, where the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6, toppled stone or mud-brick homes and the minarets of mosques.