UPDATE- Magnitude-5.4 earthquake hits eastern Turkey

CHANGES DECK, UPDATES WITH NUMBER OF INJURED PEOPLE

By Emre Ilikan, Duygu Yener and Mesut Varol

ANKARA / VAN, Turkey (AA) – A magnitude-5.4 earthquake jolted Turkey's eastern province of Van on Thursday, according to the country's disaster agency.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said the quake struck off the Ozalp district at 1.03 p.m. local time (1003 GMT). It originated at a depth of 6.9 kilometers.

Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said some houses were damaged due to the tremors, and further assessment studies are ongoing.

“There are moderate and heavily damaged houses in 15 neighborhoods in Ozalp, Saray and Gurpinar districts. Five of our citizens were slightly injured,” Bilmez said, underlining that nobody got trapped under debris.

The condition of those injured is stable, who are under treatment at the Ozalp State Hospital.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter that further updates on the situation will be given to the public by Van Governorate and AFAD.

Iran and Turkey are among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In February, at least nine people died and 50 others were injured in Van after a magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck near the Iranian border region.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar