Dozens of quake survivors rescued from rubble in eastern Turkey

A total of 39 people were rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey's eastern Elazig province, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.  

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

Footage early on Saturday showed emergency workers rescuing a pregnant woman in Elazig after 12 hours under the rubble. 

Another three men was rescued after 13 hours, while authorities listened for voices of what the government said was 30 more people still trapped.

The injured were transferred to hospitals.

Turkish state broadcaster TRT showed footage of dozens of workers in the dawn light using shovels to dig out a partly collapsed building in Elazig. 

Windows were smashed and balconies from at least four storeys had crashed to the ground.

Teams worked through the night with their hands, drills and mechanical diggers to remove bricks and plaster from the ruins in the city where the overnight temperature dipped to -8 degrees Celsius.

"Our houses collapsed ... we cannot go inside them," said a 32-year-old man from the town of Sivrice, epicentre of the quake that struck shortly before 1800GMT.

"In our village, some people lost their lives. I hope God will help us," said the man, who gave only his first name as Sinasi.

 "Our animals died. Our families gathered around the fire to spend the night, covered with blankets," Sinasi said as he and a relative tried to warm themselves by a small fire.

Turkey has a history of powerful earthquakes. More than 17,000 people were killed in August 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude quake struck the western city of Izmit, 90 km southeast of Istanbul. About 500,000 people were made homeless.