Serzh Sargsyan addresses condolences to Abdullah Gul following earthquake in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan addressed condolences to his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul following the earthquake in Turkey, presidential press service reported.

On behalf of Armenian nation, RA President expressed condolences to Turkish President and families of earthquake victims.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck eastern Turkey on Monday, killing 57 people as it knocked down stone or mud-brick houses and minarets in at least six villages, the government said.

The government's crisis center said about 100 other people were injured in the quake, which hit at 4:32 a.m. Turkish time in Elazig province, about 550 kilometers east of Ankara.

The earthquake, which caught many people as they slept, was centered near the village of Basyurt and followed by more than 30 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.5 the Kandilli seismology center said.