An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit eastern Turkey on Friday, a Turkish government agency said. There was no immediate information about any casualties but the country's interior minister said there were reports that some buildings had collapsed.

The quake shook the Sivrice district in the eastern province of Elazig at around 8.55 pm (1755 GMT), the government's disaster and emergency management agency said. The US Geological Survey assessed the quake's magnitude at 6.7, and said it struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (about six miles).

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said there was no news of casualties at the moment. "Sivrice was shaken very seriously, we have directed our rescue teams to the region," he told reporters, adding that there were reports of some collapsed buildings in the region. Turkey lies on major faultlines and is prone to earthquakes. In 1999, a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Izmit in western Turkey, leaving more than 17,000 people dead including about 1,000 in the economic capital Istanbul.