A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has killed at least seven people in eastern Turkey, and trapped many more under collapsed buildings.
The BBC reports that about 20 buildings have collapsed, including two hotels.
One of them was the Bayram Hotel, Van's six-storey landmark hotel where dozens of aid workers and journalists were staying.
Latest reports say 23 people have been rescued alive but up to 100 more are still unaccounted for.
The same region was struck last month by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which killed more than 600 people.
The city of Van, the headquarters of the relief effort, was only lightly damaged in the earlier quake north of the city, but some of the weakened buildings are now thought to have been brought down.
Some of the journalists trapped in the collapsed Bayram Hotel had sent text messages to colleagues asking to be rescued, reported the Associated Press.
Click here to view original article by Travelmole, Thursday 10th November, 2011
