Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Quake Kills 6 in Western Turkey, Rattles Greek Island
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
October 30, 2020

Share

ISTANBUL — A strong earthquake struck Friday in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, collapsing buildings in the city of Izmir in western Turkey, and officials said at least six people were killed and scores were injured.

A small tsunami struck the Seferisar district of Izmir, said Haluk Ozener, director of the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute. At least four people were slightly injured on Samos, where a tsunami warning was issued.

Six people were killed in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, including one who drowned, and 202 were injured, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD.

Izmir Gov. Yavuz Selim Kosger said at least 70 people had been rescued from the wreckage. He said four buildings were destroyed and more than 10 collapsed, while others also were damaged.

Search and rescue efforts were continuing in at least 12 buildings, AFAD said.

Turkish media showed wreckage of a multiple-story building, with people climbing it to start rescue efforts. Smoke rose from several spots.

Videos on Twitter showed flooding in the Seferhisar district, and Turkish officials and broadcasters called on people to stay off the streets after reports of traffic congestion.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 38 ambulances, two ambulance helicopters and 35 medical rescue teams were working in the city of Izmir.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said the earthquake was centered in the Aegean at a depth of 16.5 kilometers (10.3 miles) and registered at a 6.6 magnitude.

Rescue workers and local people try to save residents trapped in the debris of a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said Friday’s earthquake was centered in the Aegean at a depth of 16,5 kilometers (10.3 miles) and registered at a 6.6 magnitude.(AP Photo/Ismail Gokmen)

The Earthquake Was Felt Across the Eastern Greek Islands

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, with an epicenter 13 kilometers (8 miles) north northeast of the Greek island of Samos. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0. It is common for preliminary magnitudes to differ in the early hours and days after a quake.

The environment and urban planning minister, Murat Kurum, said people were trapped under the wreckage and rescue efforts were underway.

Greek seismologist Akis Tselentis told Greek state broadcaster ERT that the quake was believed to be the main earthquake, but that due to the shallow depth of its epicenter — roughly 10 kilometers — potentially powerful aftershocks could be expected for several weeks, or even a month, to come.

He said residents of affected areas must be careful not to enter buildings that might have been damaged in the initial quake, as they could collapse in a strong aftershock.

The earthquake was felt across the eastern Greek islands and as far as the Greek capital, Athens, and in Bulgaria. In Turkey, it was also felt across the regions of Aegean and Marmara, including Istanbul. Istanbul’s governor said there were no reports of damage in the city, Turkey’s largest.

On the Greek island of Samos, damage was reported in buildings and the road network, while a tsunami warning was issued, with residents told to stay away from the coast. Water rose above the dock in the main harbor of Samos and flooded the street.

Residents have also been told to stay away from buildings, as aftershocks continued to rattle the area.

The Greek minister responsible for civil protection and crisis management, Nikos Hardalias, was heading to Samos, as were a search and rescue team, paramedics, and engineers.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

DON'T MISS

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

DON'T MISS

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

DON'T MISS

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

DON'T MISS

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

DON'T MISS

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

DON'T MISS

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

DON'T MISS

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

UP NEXT

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

UP NEXT

Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother and Keeper of His Legacy, Dies at 78

UP NEXT

Bullard Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Behavior With a Minor, Principal Says

UP NEXT

Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as LGBTQ+, Survey Finds

UP NEXT

Europe’s Leaders, Dazed by an Ally Acting Like an Adversary, Recalculate

UP NEXT

Arctic Blast Causes Massive Pileups, Power Outages Across East Coast

UP NEXT

EU Official Meets With Trump Counterparts to Resolve Tariff Threats

UP NEXT

Struggling Forever 21 Plans to Close 200 Stores in Possible 2nd Bankruptcy

UP NEXT

2 People Are Dead in a Small Plane Collision at a Southern Arizona Airport

UP NEXT

Official White House Account Declares Trump ‘King’ in Latest Post

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

3 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

3 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

9 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

9 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

9 hours ago

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

9 hours ago

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

9 hours ago

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

9 hours ago

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

9 hours ago

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

9 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

ROME — Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pn...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

2 hours ago

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

2 hours ago

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

3 hours ago

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

3 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

9 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

9 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

9 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend