The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Turkey has risen to 31, the authorities announced this morning.
The number of injured in the provinces of Elazig and Malatya rose to 1.607, the state emergency agency (AFAD) said.
The earthquake occurred on Friday at 18.55:6,7 CET in the province of Elazig, and the American Geological Institute measured it to have a magnitude of XNUMX.
This morning, rescuers are continuing to search the ruins for survivors in the center of Elazig, the capital of the province of the same name, reports the correspondent of Agence France-Presse.
As of Friday, 45 people were found alive in the ruins.
Almost 80 buildings collapsed in Elazig and Malatja, and 645 were severely damaged, the same source said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the two affected provinces yesterday, stating that the necessary measures would be taken immediately so that no one was left without accommodation.
Turkey is located on shaky ground and the country is often hit by earthquakes. In the 7,4 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey in 1999, 17.000 people died, of which around 1.000 were in Istanbul.
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