6.0 TURKEY EARTHQUAKE KILLS 57

[jose v]

The updated death count is up to 57 as reported by the AP.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1256298/Turkey-ea...

A powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey killed at least 41 people this morning after burying victims in their sleep.

Around 100 more were injured as the tremor, which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale, tore down mud-brick houses in remote villages in Elazig province.

Rescuers’ bid to dig survivors from the rubble was also hindered by 20 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 4.1

The hardest-hit villages, near the town of Kovancilar, were Okcular, Yukari Kanatli and Kayali.

No other deaths have been reported outside of these settlements since the first tremor struck at 4.32am (2.32am in Britain).

The effect of the quake was particularly devastating as the epicentre was only three miles beneath the Earth's surface, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.

Also, the flimsy housing, which is the only option for many of the rural poor in the region, also helped raise the death toll.

Elazig governor Muammer Erol said: ‘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.’

(snip)