Death toll from eastern Turkey earthquake rises to 22

By Yildiz Aktas

ANKARA/ELAZIG (AA) - The death toll from Friday's powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey has risen to 22, the country's interior minister said on Saturday.

"Four people died in Malatya's Doganyol [town] and 18 others in Elazig," said Suleyman Soylu at a news conference in quake-hit Elazig province .

A total of 39 people were also rescued from the rubble of collapsed houses and buildings, Soylu added.

The 6.8-magnitude quake hit eastern Elazig province at 8.55 p.m. local time (1755GMT) on Friday, with its epicenter in Sivrice district, along with neighboring provinces and countries including Syria and Georgia.