Magnitude-6.8 earthquake hits Turkey, four dead

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, with initial reports indicating 14 deaths and about a dozen injuries.

It struck at around 8:55 p.m. at a depth of 6 miles, near the town of Doganyol in the Sivrice sector of Elazig province, about 460 miles east of Ankara. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced the casualty count, adding that some buildings in the city of Elazig were damaged.

"Search and rescue teams were sent to the region and further information is yet to come," he said.

Eight of the deaths were reported in Elazig province while six were in Malatya province.

At least one fire, caused by natural gas leakage as a result of the earthquake, was reported in the city, which sits at an altitude of 3,500 feet and has a population of about 350,000.

Aftershocks ranging between magnitude-5.4 to magnitude-3.3 were also detected.

The earthquake was felt across several Turkish provinces, as well as in Iraq and Syria. A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in the area in 2010 killed 51 people.