Two avalanches in eastern Turkey have killed 41 people, most of whom were buried by the second downslide while working to rescue victims of the first, according to local media on Thursday. 

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said earlier that 75 people were injured, adding that around 700 additional emergency rescue personnel were dispatched to the area.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said conditions in the area made it difficult for rescue vehicles to operate, adding that a vehicle had been pulled out from under 4-5 meters (16 feet) of snow.

He later said that rescue operations had been put on hold as authorities feared a third avalanche in the area. He said rescue efforts would resume after inspections on Thursday morning.

Osman Ucar, head of AFAD's Van office, was hospitalized after being caught in the avalanche. He told Ihlas News Agency from hospital that some 200 people were working in the rescue operation but many were out of the immediate area when the second avalanche hit on Wednesday.

"I was halfway buried in snow," he said, adding that "I got out by my own means."

(Cover: Emergency service members work in the snow around overturned vehicles near the town of Bahcesehir, Van Province, eastern Turkey, February 5, 2020. /AP Photo)