At least 51 people were killed early today when a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Turkey. Minarets toppled, buildings crumbled, and panicked residents fled their homes in 6 villages near the epicenter some 350 miles east of the nation's capital of Ankara. Rescuers were rushing to free people trapped in the rubble, reports the BBC. "The number of people injured is not clear. Ambulances keep on going back and forth," said a local governor.
One resident in the hard-hit village of Okcular said he was asleep when the quake struck. "I tried to get out of the door but it wouldn't open. I came out of the window and started helping my neighbors," he said. "We removed 6 bodies." An official in a nearby village said his community was also devastated. "Everything has been knocked down—there is not a stone in place," he said.
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