"Four people died in Malatya's Doganyol [town] and 18 others in Elazig," said Suleyman Soylu at a news conference in quake-hit Elazig province.
A total of 39 people were also rescued from the rubble of collapsed houses and buildings, Soylu added.
1,030 people were injured after a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 rocked the eastern Turkish province of Elazıg on Friday evening, Azvision.az reports citing Daily Sabah.
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08:59
At least 19 people died and more than 600 were injured in eastern Turkey after an earthquake rattled the region on Friday evening, according to authorities.
Thirteen people were killed in Elazig province, four in Malatya, one in Diyarbakir and one in another area, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) says.
About 650 people were injured, but the number could rise.
Video from Turkey's IHA Broadcasting Services shows emergency crews rescuing injured people from a collapsed building. Search and rescue operations were underway for 30 missing people in the Elazig city, Soylu said.
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01:47
Six people have died and more than 200 were injured in eastern Turkey after an earthquake rattled the region on Friday evening, according to authorities.
The 6.7-magnitude quake struck near the town of Sivrice, in eastern Elazig province, collapsing at least 10 buildings, Turkish Interior Minister Sulyman Soylu said. Two of the injured are in critical condition, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD.
Preliminary reports say the earthquake lasted 40 seconds, AFAD said.
Fifteen aftershocks have been felt in the wake, with the strongest registering at 5.4 magnitude, Soylu said. The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which enhances the shaking felt at the surface.
About 500,000 people felt strong to very strong shaking, the USGS reported. The earthquake was felt in several other countries, including Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
According to the initial estimates from USGS, damage should be "relatively localized."
The quake interrupted a live broadcast of Edessa TV. Video of the broadcast shows four anchors talking while everything shakes around them.
CNN
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