NEW earthquake hits already quake-devastated E. Turkish province

A 5.1 magnitude quake has struck Turkey’s Elazig province, one day after a 6.8 tremor leveled buildings and killed at least 35 people.

The earthquake struck at around 7:30pm local time on Saturday, at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey (USGC) reported. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) has put the magnitude at 4.9.

For residents of Elazig province, it was the second major tremor to shake the region in less than two days. A 6.8 magnitude quake on Saturday claimed at least 35 lives and left more than 1,600 injured, Turkish authorities said. In addition to the human cost, the quake felled concrete buildings in several towns.

Though centered in Elazig, Friday’s quake was felt as far away as Tel Aviv, Israel, 1,000 km to the south. Even as Saturday's earthquake struck, efforts to clear rubble and search for survivors trapped since the day before continued.

Turkey straddles several seismic fault lines, and has a history of devastating earthquakes. A 2011 quake near the eastern city of Van killed more than 500 people, while a powerful tremor struck the western city of Izmit in 1999, killing more than 17,000 people and leaving half a million homeless.

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