Earthquake hits Easter Turkey

Earthquake hits Easter Turkey

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit near Van in southeastern Turkey on Sunday near the border with Iran, Turkey's Kandilli Observatory and Research Institute said, and media reported some buildings had collapsed.

October 23, 2011 2:12 by Reuters

The institute said the earthquake struck at 1041 GMT and was 5 km (three miles) deep. The U.S. Geological Survey earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.6.

State-run news agency Anatolian said some buildings had collapsed. After shocks continued after the initial quake, Anatolian said.

A Reuters reporter in Hakkari, a town around 100 km (60 miles) south of the city of Van in southeastern Turkey, said he could feel the building sway for around 10 seconds.

There was no immediate sign of any casualties or damage in Hakkari, around two and half hours drive through the mountains from Van, around 20 km (12 miles) from the epicentre.

Major geological faultlines cross Turkey and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. Two large quakes in 1999 killed more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey.

Two people were killed and 79 injured in May when an earthquake shook Simav innorthwest Turkey. (Reporting by Jonathan Burch and Seda Sezer; Editing by Alison Williams)