The tornado which hit the village of Sunlu for about half an hour turned over vehicles, toppled trees, blew out windows and lifted up roofs, regional fire chief Huseyin Pala told the NTV news channel.

"When we arrived, the village had been turned upside down. The roofs of the more than 300 houses in the village had been blown off. The traditional mud-brick houses were left in poor condition," Pala said.

Pala said the death toll could still rise.

"Search and rescue teams have completed their search under the rubble. But medics say the number of dead could rise," he added.

The casualties included a 60-year-old woman, a nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy of the same family who were in a field when the tornado struck, Anatolia news agency said.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, but Ankara deputy governor Ramazan Urgancioglu told the NTV news channel that none of them were in a critical condition.

"It was a big and unexpected disaster," Urgancioglu told the NTV.

The Turkish Red Crescent immediately dispatched tents, blankets and food to the striken area, Anatolia said.

TERRA.WIRE