Villagers in a remote part of eastern Turkey have spent the night struggling to stay warm after a 6 magnitude tremor left their homes in ruins.

The quake, early on Monday, killed more than 50 people and injured dozens more. Repeated aftershocks have spread further panic in the Elazig region as victims mourn lost loved ones and relive their ordeal.

“I grabbed my children and ran out of my home,” said survivor Abdulltayyip Cicek. “What I saw was that all the houses in the village were demolished. People were shouting and crying while trapped under the rubble.”

Villagers have been warned not to return to what is left of their mud-brick homes in case they collapse. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild dwellings using stronger materials.

For now, the grim task of burying the dead must be dealt with. Turkey is no stranger to earthquakes.
That does not make the suffering of those caught up in this latest disaster any easier to bear.

Scientists working on predicting earthquakes

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