One killed as strong quake jolts eastern Turkey

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said several buildings in the region suffered damage. Rocks had fallen on roads and highways, hampering access to some affected areas, he said. Pulumur Mayor Mesut Coskun said residents were too afraid to return to damaged homes and asked for tents. "Despite the cold, no one can return home. We urgently need tents," Coskun told the Anatolia news agency. The quake was followed by three mild aftershocks.
Two students threw themselves out of a school window in panic and were slightly injured, Coskun said. Three other people were injured in Erzincan province also after jumping out of windows, Anatolia reported.
Teams have been sent to remote areas to assess damage there.
Ada said there were reports of damage to homes in at least five villages.
Tunceli province, about 1,200km east of the capital Ankara, is a mountainous area and is not heavily populated.
Most of Turkey lies on the active North Anatolian fault. In 1999, two major earthquakes struck western Turkey, killing some 18,000 people. A quake measuring 6.2 killed 97 people in Pulumur in 1967, according to Anatolia.