ONE person has died and 29 others are injured after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey.
Dozens of buildings collapsed and left emergency crews desperately scouring the debris to rescue those trapped after the first powerful tremor hit.
APTurkey has been rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake which has left buildings flattened[/caption]
GettyEmergency crews have been scouring the wreckage to rescue any trapped residents[/caption]
GettyAn aerial view of a collapsed building shows the extensive damage[/caption]
The quake hit at around 8pm with the initial shock felt across several cities including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir which sit over 100 miles away.
The epicenter was in the town of Sindirgi in the northwestern province of Balikesir where dozens of homes were sent crumbling to the ground.
At least 30 residents were pulled out from under shattered window panes and smashed up brickwork among the debris.
An elderly woman who was initially rescued alive died shortly after being found.
Her home was believed to be one of 16 buildings which completely collapsed in Sindirgi.
Another four people were found under the same wreckage and miraculously survived.
The remaining 29 people wounded have all now been treated with none of them having serious injuries.
Sindirgis mayor Serkan Sak told HaberTurk rescuers are still trying to reach the two other people.
Several houses were also found collapsed in the nearby village of Golcuk, he added.
Pictures show residents standing around the decimated homes with cars also left battered by the falling rubble.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency said the earthquake was followed by several aftershock.
The biggest measured at 4.6 and caused officials to warn citizens to avoid entering any damaged buildings.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement saying: “May God protect our country from any kind of disaster.”
Turkey is often hit with earthquakes as it sits on major fault lines.
In April, a powerful 6.2-magnitude quake rocked Istanbul and sent terrified residents fleeing buildings and calling loved ones as tremors were felt across the capital.
Two years earlier, 60,000 people died in southern Turkey and northern Syria after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit.
Terrifying footage showed a massive chasm in the Earth‘s crust that was left behind by the devastating earthquake that struck.
The earthquake also sparked a 100ft inferno after a major gas pipeline burst.
Harrowing quake images showed mass graves marked with just numbers after it became impossible to identify all bodies.
GettyCars were also flattened by the falling debris[/caption]
GettyDozen of emergency crews rushed to the town after the first tremor was felt[/caption]
GettyPictures show residents standing around the decimated homes[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
