Nine dead in Turkey as 5.7 earthquake strikes western Iran
Ankara: Nine people were killed in Turkey in a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck western Iran early Sunday morning, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
The quake centered west of the Iranian city of Khoy and affected villages in the Turkish province of Van.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told a news conference that three children and four adults were killed in Turkey's Baskule district.
Koca later updated the number of fatalities to nine and wrote on Twitter that 37 people were injured, including nine in a critical but not life-threatening condition.
Emergency teams have been sent to the remote mountainous region.
Iran's official IRNA news agency said the earthquake affected 43 villages in the mountainous Qotour area.
It later added that at least 75 people had been injured, six of whom were hospitalised.
According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC), the quake, which happened at 9:22am local time (0552GMT), had a depth of 5 kilometers (3 miles).
The region has a history of powerful earthquakes.
Last month a quake centered on the eastern Turkish city of Elazig killed more than 40 people.
In 2011, more than 600 were killed when a quake struck north of Van province's capital.
Turkish broadcaster NTV showed images of locals and soldiers digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings as families fearing further tremors sat in snowy streets.
The EMSC reported several further quakes that measured up to magnitude 4.4.
The effects of the quake hit four villages in Van. Seven of the fatalities occurred in Ozpinar village, where Soylu said search and rescue teams had arrived.
He added that the quake caused 1,066 buildings to collapse while the Education Ministry said a number of schools were damaged.
Koca said 25 ambulances, a medical helicopter and 13 emergency teams had been sent to the region.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said 144 tents for families had been dispatched.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
