Nine dead as earthquake hits Turkey

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked an eastern region of Turkey, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, the country's public works ministry said today.

Turkish television reports said houses in villages across three provinces and near the town of Erzurum suffered serious damage overnight.

The ministry said Askale county was the epicentre of the quake. As many as 51 aftershocks shook the region after the quake.