Some 20 people were injured in the quake which had the potential for considerable damage, Anatolia news agency said.

The children, who had been living in the same house, and the two other victims were buried when their home collapsed, CNN-Turk quoted Erzurum province governor Mustafa Malay as saying.

Four people were undergoing hospital treatment for shock after residents fled their homes in panic.

The quake struck the mountainous and sparsely populated region around 9:30 pm (1930 GMT), cutting power supplies.

Turkey is criss-crossed by active fault lines. Two violent quakes cost the lives of more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey in 1999.

TERRA.WIRE