Erdogan arrives in quake-hit eastern Turkish province

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday arrived in Turkey's eastern province of Elazig that was hit by a deadly earthquake on Friday.

Erdogan canceled his scheduled attendance at the 33rd general assembly and award ceremony of Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) at Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul.

The 6.8-magnitude quake hit eastern Elazig province at 8.55 p.m. local time (1755GMT) on Friday, with its epicenter in Sivrice district, along with neighboring provinces and countries including Syria and Georgia.

The death toll from Friday's powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey has risen to 22, the country's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said earlier on Saturday.

"Four people died in Malatya's Doganyol [town] and 18 others in Elazig," said Suleyman Soylu at a news conference along with health minister and environment and urbanization minister in quake-hit Elazig province.

A total of 39 people were also rescued from the rubble of collapsed houses and buildings, Soylu added.