Three children among nine dead after magnitude-5.7 earthquake destroys buildings in Turkey

A 5.7 MAGNITUDE earthquake has hit Turkey, destroying more than 1,000 buildings and killing nine people - including three children.

Turkey's health ministry confirmed 37 people were injured by the shallow tremor on Sunday near the Iranian border, with many still trapped under buildings.

A further 75 were injured in towns and villages in northwest Iran.

The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicentre 47 km west of the Iranian city of Khoy, Western Azabhaijan Province near the border, were tremors of 6.0 magnitude were recorded.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake, which hit at 8:53 a.m. local time (05:53 GMT), had a depth of 6 km (3.1 miles).

Hundreds of buildings collapsed to the ground in Turkey, prompting an ongoing effort to find those trapped under rubble by residents and citizens.

In one village, the ground cratered under several structures while in another, residents were seen wrapped in blankets outside crumbled homes, fallen metal roofs and twisted wiring. 

The quake damaged buildings some 90 km (56 miles) to the west in the Turkish city of Van.

In the east, the quake rocked dozens of villages in Iran, where state TV claimed 75 people were injured, including six people admitted to hospital.

There has so far been no confirmed fatalities in Iran.

Crisscrossed by major fault lines, Iran and Turkey are among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Turkish TV footage showed people digging with shovels and their hands in the rubble, as well as furniture and belongings strewn on cracked and snowy roads.

On Sunday morning, Mehmet Bilmez, the governor of Van, told reporters standing in front of a pile of cinder blocks and sheet metal: "The damage caused loss of life. There is destruction in all four villages.”

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has begun rescue work in villages including in Ozpinar, about 25 km south of the epicentre.

An Iranian official told state TV that rescue teams had been dispatched to the area in Iran's West Azarbaijan province.

Another local official said the earthquake was felt in several towns including Urmiah and Salmas, and many villages including some that suffered "100% damage".