ANKARA, Turkey — A strong earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6, hit eastern Turkey on Monday, killing at least 38 people, an official said.
The quake toppled stone or mud-brick homes and the minarets of mosques in three villages.
The government’s crisis centre said some 60 people were also injured in the quake which occurred at 4:32 a.m. (0232 GMT) in Elazig province and caught many people in their sleep.
It was followed by more than 20 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 4.1., according to Istanbul’s Kandilli Observatory seismology centre.
Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the North Anatolian fault.
In 1999, two powerful earthquakes struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.