Rescue workers search on a collapsed building after an earthquake in Elazig, Turkey, January 25, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)

The magnitude 6.8 quake shook Elazig province, about 550 km east of the capital Ankara, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks. Thirteen people were killed in Elazig and five more in the neighboring province of Malatya, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said after rushing to the region with other ministers to oversee the rescue operation.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said emergency workers were searching for 30 people under the rubble, and more than 500 people were injured.

State broadcaster TRT showed footage of police and emergency workers searching a partly collapsed building in Elazig. Windows were smashed and balconies had crashed to the ground. At another collapsed building, teams worked with their hands to remove bricks and plaster from the ruins. Elsewhere emergency workers used drills and mechanical diggers to clear the debris, while injured people were carried on stretchers to ambulances.