Azerbaijan, Baku, 10 Nov. / Trend /
Five people died under the rubble of buildings destroyed by two new earthquakes in the eastern Turkish province of Van, 20 people were pulled from the rubble alive, the country's Interior Minister, Besir Atalay told CNN Turk TV channel.
According to him, 25 buildings were destroyed as a result of the quakes, 22 of which were empty at the time. Search and rescue operations on the ruins of another three buildings are underway.
Two fresh earthquakes measuring 5.6 and 4.5 jolted Van province Wednesday night. Their epicenter was the town of Edremit.
According to the TV channel, the earthquakes destroyed some buildings in Van city that were already damaged by the earthquake of October 23, including a school and hotel. It is reported there are people under the ruins of the hotel, including journalists, who arrived in the region to cover the aftermath of the October 23 quake.
At the same time, DHA news agency reported that one person was killed and 50 people were injured as a result of the panic that occurred in the city of Van during the earthquake. People threw themselves from windows and balconies of the houses.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Van province on October 23, killing more than 600 people.