Magnitude 5.7 quake hits Turkey's east

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake jolted eastern Turkey on June 14, according to the country's disaster agency.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the quake struck Turkey's eastern Bingöl province's Karlıova district at 5.24 p.m. local time (1524GMT). An aftershock with a magnitude of 4.7 was recorded in the same region, according to data provided by AFAD.

The quake was also felt in near provinces such as Erzurum, Muş, Elazığ and Diyarbakır.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that a watchtower in the Karlıova-Kaynarpınar Gendarmerie Station Command collapsed and a security guard has been trapped under the debris.

Two more security guards have been slightly injured, Soylu said.

Bingöl Governor Kadir Ekinci said three have been injured due to the collapsed observation tower and ten houses in Yedisu district's Elmalı and Dinarbey villages have collapsed.

He said that the injured people have been rescued. There are no initial reports of death, according to Ekinci.

In the meantime, Environment and Urbanization Minister said that teams have been dispatched to the quake zone.

Turkey has a history of powerful earthquakes. More than 17,000 people were killed in August 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude quake struck the western city of İzmit, 90 kilometers southeast of Istanbul. About 500,000 people were made homeless.

In 2011 an earthquake struck the eastern city of Van and the town of Erciş, some 100 km (60 miles) to the north, killing at least 523 people.

A 6.8-magnitude quake shook Elazığ province and other neighboring provinces on Jan. 24, killing 41 people and injuring 1,600 others, according to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) data.