A strong earthquake Monday shook southeastern Turkey, injuring at least 54 people and demolishing homes, and officials dispatched tents and blankets to the area.
The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7, struck near the town of Karliova in rural Bingol province, 560 miles southeast of Ankara, the Kandilli Observatory said.
Five of the injured were in serious condition while others were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.
The quake caused several homes to collapse and damaged at least 63 others in neighboring villages, according to the prime minister’s office and local officials. Most homes that collapsed were previously damaged in a March earthquake, Bingol Gov. Vehbi Avuc said.
“We are happy that there were no deaths,” Avuc said, but he added that the quake “has caused quite a panic and we are trying to provide psychological support.”
Officials sent 1,000 tents and 2,000 blankets to the area and closed schools for two days.
The quake occurred at 10:41 a.m. and was felt in the neighboring provinces of Erzurum, Mus and Tunceli, the Anatolia news agency reported. At least 10 aftershocks, measuring between 2.9 and 3.5, shook the region, Kandilli said.
Quakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault. Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999.
In 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude collapsed a school dormitory in Bingol province, killing 83 children. The collapse was blamed on poor construction.
A magnitude-6.4 quake killed 177 people in Bingol in 1995.
