Ankara, Feb 23 (IANS) At least seven people were killed and five others injured after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck near the Turkey-Iran border on Sunday, officials said.

Tremors from the quake which centred in northwestern Iran were also felt in Turkey's Van province, reports the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Some buildings were damaged and many people were trapped under debris, Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in a news conference.

He added that search and rescue teams were dispatched to the quake-hit region.

A powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey earlier this year causing the deaths of 41 people and injuring 1,600 others.

--IANS ksk/