Eastern Turkey hit by 5.9-magnitude earthquake

A moderately strong earthquake has struck eastern Turkey causing widespread panic, officials said.

More than 40 people were being kept under observation in hospital but there were no reports of serious injury or significant destruction.

The earthquake, with a magnitude 5.9, struck the town of Kale in the province of Malatya at 10.46am, according to the government-run Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, known as the AFAD.

The earthquake was felt in nearby provinces including Diyarbakir, Elazig, Sanliurfa and Tunceli, as well as in some parts of northern Syria.

People rushed out of homes and offices in fear throughout the region.

More than an hour after the quake struck, many were still waiting in the streets and parks, reluctant to return indoors.

Schools were ordered to close in Malatya and Elazig.

Interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said close to 190 people were “affected” by the tremor and 43 people were being kept in hospital under observation.

In Elazig, about a dozen people sustained minor injuries after jumping out of windows in panic, mayor Sahin Serifogullari said.

Around 20 such incidents were reported in Malatya, HaberTurk television reported.

The AFAD said a total of four buildings in Malatya, Sanliurfa and Elazig were damaged. In Elazig, four people were rescued unhurt from a building that was partially damaged, it said.

Malatya was one 11 provinces that was devastated by a powerful earthquake that struck parts of Turkey and northern Syria last year. More than 53,000 people were killed in Turkey.

Many buildings at risk of collapse had already been either torn down or evacuated after the 2023 earthquake, Malatya governor Seddar Yavuz said.

Turkey is crossed by two major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. More than 17,000 people were also killed in a powerful earthquake in north-western Turkey in 1999.