Number of dead in Turkey quake reaches 21

Turkish emergency officials said the number of dead from a strong earthquake that rocked the country's east climbed to 21 on Saturday, with more than 1,000 people injured.

Rescue workers were continuing to search for some 30 people thought to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Elazig province and neighbouring Malatya, said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

He warned that the death toll could rise.

Emergency workers and security forces distributed tents, beds and blankets as overnight temperatures dropped below freezing in the affected areas.

Mosques, schools, sports halls and student dormitories were opened for hundreds who left their homes after the quake.

The 6.8-magnitude quake hit on Friday at 8:55 pm local time (1755 GMT) at a depth of 6.7 kilometres (around 4 miles) near Sivrice, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said.

It was followed by 228 aftershocks, the strongest with magnitudes 5.4 and 5.1.