5.6 quake in east Turkey topples hotel building

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake toppled a hotel in eastern Turkey late on Wednesday, sowing panic among residents in the same area where a quake killed more than 600 people recently, television reported. The quake occurred at 1923 GMT, with the epicentre in the Edremit district, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the Van province that bore the brunt of the deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 23, according to the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory. Rescue teams and ambulances rushed to the six-storey hotel in Van city-centre that collapsed and it was not immediately clear if anyone was injured, the private NTV television station reported. "It would be premature to say if it is an aftershock or an earthquake," Kandilli Observatory Director Professor Mustafa Erdik told NTV.