Earthquake Today in Turkey: Second Quake Destroys 16 Buildings (VIDEO)
A hotel filled with aid workers and reporters crumbled to shreds in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday, where a preliminary earthquake of 5.7-magnitude occurred just two weeks after a powerful temblor in that same area killed around 600 people.
The quake toppled 16 other buildings Wednesday in eastern Turkey.
According to state-run TRT television, the quake took down a six-story hotel in addition to nearby buildings that had been damaged in the earlier quake in the province of Van.
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On local television, footage of residents and rescuers desperately trying to lift wreckage to evacuate people potentially stuck under hotel debris in the provincial capital of Van was shown.
According to Sky News, about 35 people including reporters and rescue workers were trapped in the rubble.
Hundreds of aftershocks have hit the region since the 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the province on Oct. 23. It destroyed at least 2,000 buildings and authorities declared an additional 3,700 buildings unfit for construction efforts.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 9.23 p.m (2:23 p.m. EST) at a depth of 2.98 miles.
The quake-riddled region has caused many residents to fear returning to their homes, so many have been staying in tents despite the cold.
As of now, no casualties have been reported.
Here is a video news report on the earthquake:
