Turkey: Four people were killed and 120 injured Friday in Turkey when a powerful earthquake struck the country’s western coast and parts of Greece, the Turkish health minister said.
“Unfortunately, four of our citizens lost their lives in the earthquake” that destroyed buildings in Turkey’s coastal resort city of Izmir, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted. The powerful quake caused a sea surge that flooded streets in the Turkish resort city of Izmir. Greek public television said the quake also caused a mini-tsunami on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Samos, damaging buildings.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.0 magnitude quake was registered 14 kilometres (8.6 miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos. The Turkish government’s disaster agency reported a lower magnitude of 6.6 for the quake while Greece’s seismological agency said it measured 6.7.
Images from Izmir showed collapsed buildings and dazed people trying to make their way through rubbled piled high on the streets. “So far, we have received information about six collapsed buildings” in Izmir province, which includes the city, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter. “Some of our fellow citizens are stuck in the rubble,” said Environment Minister Murat Kurum, adding that he knew of five collapsed buildings. The city’s mayor Tunc Soyer told CNN Turk he had information about the collapse of 20 buildings.
Images on social media showed water rushing through the streets of Izmir from an apparent sea surge. Thick white plumes smoke rose from various parts of the city where buildings had collapsed.
Aerial footage on Turkey’s NTV television showed entire city blocks turned to rubble. TRT television showed rescuers being helped by residents and police using chainsaws as they tried to force their way through the rubble of a seven-floor building that had collapsed.
Rescuers called for silence for signs of any survivers, clearing boulders and other debris in a human chain. CNN Turk showed one woman being pulled out alive. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted that he was ready to help “with all the means available to our state”.
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