In a message to her Turkish counterpart Recep Tayib Erdagon, Zia said she was deeply shocked and that her thoughts were with the bereaved families of the dead.

The province of Bingol was struck by a massive earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale at 3.27 am (0027 GMT) on Thursday.

An army search-and-rescue team worked at the site Friday amid optimism that some children remained alive under the rubble of a four-storey boarding house.

SPACE.WIRE