2007 Ağrı earthquake

The 2007 Ağrı earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0, was centered in the town of Tutak, in Ağrı Province. Authorities said the quake had demolished homes in at least two villages and they were still looking for casualties. The epicentre of the tremor, which hit at 9.38am (6.38pm AEDT) on January 21, was at the town of Tutak near the borders with Armenia and Iran, the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory said.

Derya Ozer, the daughter of the local administrator in Cobanova, said some old houses and barns came down in the temblor, while others had suffered cracks or other types of damage.

"There were no immediate reports of any deaths according to first assessments," Akpinar said.

A crisis center was established immediately after the quake and Civilian Defense Directorate Search and Rescue Teams left for the villages to make assessments, according to the report.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey. In August and November 1999, two violent temblors occurred in the heavily populated northwest of the country.

The quake knocked down a number of homes in the villages of Yukarikosk and Cobanova, Akpinar said. Snow was slowing down access to some of the villages in the province, he said.