An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Turkey on Friday night, killing at least 21 people and tearing down buildings in cities near the center of vibration, which were felt to be quite strong in the adjacent countries.

The quake shook Elazig province, about 550 kilometers east of the capital Ankara and was followed by more than 270 aftershocks, 12 of which had a magnitude of more than 4 in Richter scale.

As many as 17 people were killed in Elazig and four more in the province of Malatya, said the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Authority. He added, 1,030 other people were injured and treated in hospitals in the region. Rescue and evacuation are ongoing in three different places in Elazig.

Camera footage on Saturday morning showed emergency workers rescued three people in Elazig after 12 hours under the collapse. Another woman in Elazig was rescued after 13 hours, while rescuers heard voices. More than 30 people are still trapped under the ruins of buildings, the Government said.

The state broadcasting station TRT shows footage of dozens of workers in the dawn light using a shovel to dig a partially collapsed building in Elazig. The windows were a mess and the balconies of at least four floors were collapsed.

The team worked through the night with hands, drills and mechanical digging tools to move bricks and cement from the ruins in the province where the night air temperature dropped to below 8 degrees Celsius.

“Our houses have collapsed … we cannot go inside,” said the 32-year-old woman from the town of Sivrice, the epicenter that shook before 9 pm local time.

In our village several people died. I hope God helps us, “said the man who mentioned only his first name, Sinasi.” Our pets are dead. Our family gathered around the fire camp to spend the night covered in blankets, “Sinasi said that they were trying to warm themselves with a makeshift fire.

Source: Antara / Reuters