A powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Friday, killing four people and damaging buildings near the epicentre of the quake. The earthquake was so significant is was also felt in several neighbouring countries.
The quake had a magnitude of 6.9 and struck at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said four people were killed in what he described as a serious earthquake – two in the eastern province of Elazig and two more in the neighbouring province of Malatya.
The quake’s epicentre was in Elazig province, about 340 miles east of the capital, Ankara.
Turkish aid organisations said they were sending teams to affected areas.
The quake struck in a remote, and sparsely populated area and it could take some time for authorities to find out the full extent of the damage.
State media in neighbouring Syria and Iran both reported the earthquake was felt in those countries.
Local media in Lebanon said the cities of Beirut and Tripoli also felt the quake.
Turkey has a history of powerful earthquakes with more than 17,000 people killed in August 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude quake struck the western city of Izmit, 55 miles southeast of Istanbul.
Mexico has also experienced a powerful earthquake, with a magnitude-4.9 hitting 13 miles west south-west San Vicente Coatlán.
In central Asia, Tajikistan was struck by two major quakes on Friday.
One struck at a magnitude-5.5 just 6.2 miles south of Karakenja while another hit at a magnitude-5.0 6.8 miles east of Karakenja.
In Japan, two large quakes struck with one shaking at a magnitude-4.6 61 miles north-northeast of Chichi-Shima.
The second in Japan hit at a magnitude-4.8 and struck 54 miles east-southeast of Namie.
Much of the seismic activity has occurred along the Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
The Ring of Fire spans 24,854 miles and sees the most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than anywhere else in the world.
Professor Bill McGuire, Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at University College London told Express.co.uk about the explosive nature of the Ring of Fire.
He said: “The Ring of Fire is a girdle of volcanoes and earthquake zones that circles the Pacific Ocean, and which marks the join between some of the planet’s most active tectonic plates.
“Almost all of the world’s most explosive and dangerous volcanoes are located here, along with the some of the longest and most deadly earthquake faults.
“Almost all of the world’s most explosive and dangerous volcanoes are located here, along with the some of the longest and most deadly earthquake faults.
“Many of the biggest faults in the Ring of Fire are submarine so that their rupture can trigger catastrophic tsunamis, such as those that struck Indonesia and the Indian Ocean in 2004 and Japan in 2011.”
Areas along the Ring of Fire often experience earthquakes and tremors and are home to the most active volcanoes.