Turkish Red Crescent distribute aid to earthquake victims in eastern Turkey

Turkish Red Crescent teams met the needs early Saturday of residents affected by a magnitude-5.2 earthquake in eastern Turkey.

The quake that rattled Bingöl, partially affected the villages of Kuşbayırı, Çelebi, Yeşilbelen, Sarıhan and Can in the Karakoçan district of eastern Elazığ province.

Teams affiliated with the Elazığ branch of the Turkish Red Crescent went to the villages affected by the tremor and distributed catering materials, including blankets, water, juice, cakes to the victims.

Volunteers also cared for an old woman who fell and injured her arm while running during the earthquake in Kusbayiri.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the magnitude-5.2 quake struck the Kigi district at 9.28 p.m. (1828GMT).

It occurred at a depth of 15.51 kilometers (9.63 miles) below the surface, it said.

AFAD said the distance of the quake was 2.28 kilometers (1.41 miles) from the closest settlement area of Aşağı Serinyer village.

At least 11 aftershocks were recorded with the strongest being magnitude-2.8, it added.

Bingöl's Governor Kadir Ekinci told Anadolu Agency that there have been no reports of damage or casualties.

Ekinci said gendarmerie and AFAD teams are on duty in the region.

Later, AFAD said two houses in Kuşbayırı and Çelebi sustained heavy damage from the quake.

It added that there were no deaths or injuries and 50 tents were sent to the area.