Hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake hit Van in southeastern Turkey this morning near the border with Iran.
Turkey's Kandilli Observatory estimated that some 500 to 1,000 people were killed in the powerful, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.
Separately, deputy prime minister Besir Atalay told reporters some 10 buildings had collapsed in Van city and up to 30 buildings collapsed in the nearby district of Ercis.
The observatory said the magnitude 6.6 earthquake was 5km deep. The US Geological Survey earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.6.
Aftershocks continued after the initial quake, the state-owned Anatolian news agency said. The agency said 50 injured people had been taken to hospital in Van, but did not give details on how serious their injuries were.
Television pictures showed damaged buildings and vehicles, crushed under falling masonry, and panicked residents wandering in the streets.
“There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed, there is too much destruction,” said Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of the town of Ercis near Van told NTV television.“We need urgent aid, we need medics.”
A witness in Hakkari, a town some 100km south of the city of Van, said he could feel the building sway for around 10 seconds. There was no immediate sign of any casualties or damage in Hakkari.
Ireland, Israel and a number of European countries have offered humanitarian assistance to Turkey.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore said he has placed members of the Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps on standby to deploy to the region. He has also offered emergency supplies from Irish Aid’s humanitarian stockpiles in Brindisi, Italy, and Dubai.
“It is imperative that the humanitarian response operation be rapid and effective to keep the death toll to an absolute minimum,” the Tánaiste said.
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.