Ankara, Nov 10 (IANS): At least 18 buildings, including two hotels, collapsed in Turkey's Van province after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday night, officials said.
The quake jolted the province at 9.23 p.m., according to Turkey's Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute.
Many people were trapped under the collapsed buildings and rescue workers were still searching through the rubble, Xinhua reported citing Turkish private NTV news channel.
The six-storeyed Bayram Hotel collapsed in the in the centre of Van city in the province, and 11 people have been pulled out of the rubble, it said.
On Oct 23, a 7.2-magnitude quake shook Van province, killing at least 605 people and injuring over 4,150 others.
On Aug 17, 1999, two powerful earthquakes, measuring 6.7 and 7.4 on the Richter scale, jolted northwestern and western Turkey, killing around 18,000 people.