Elazig: A powerful earthquake has struck eastern Turkey, killing at least 20 people and collapsing buildings in towns near the centre of the tremor, which was strong enough to be felt in several neighbouring countries.

The magnitude 6.8 quake shook Elazig province, about 550 kilometres east of the capital Ankara at 9pm on Friday, local time, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks.

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed building after a 6.8 earthquake struck Sivrice town in Elazig in eastern Turkey. Credit:IHA/AP

Sixteen people were killed in Elazig and four more in the neighbouring province of Malatya, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said after rushing to the region with other ministers to oversee the rescue operation. Some 920 injured people were in hospitals in the region, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said on Saturday.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said emergency workers were searching for 30 people under the rubble.