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At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured in Greece and Turkey following an earthquake in the eastern Aegean Sea on Friday afternoon.
The earthquake shook the Greek island of Samos, in the vicinity of the third largest Turkish city of Izmir, and was felt throughout the region. The Turkish disaster management agency AFAD said the quake registered 6.6 on the Richter scale, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reported a magnitude of 6.9.
Shortly after the earthquake, a small tsunami struck the coastal Seferihisar district in Izmir province, causing flooding in parts of Samos.
Six people died in Izmir, AFAD said late Friday, including one person who drowned. More than 200 people were injured on the Turkish side.
In Samos, two teenagers died after a wall collapsed in the earthquake, Greek media reported. Eight more people were injured on the island.
Dramatic images showed buildings collapsing in Izmir, where Turkish flags still hung from balconies after Thursday’s national day celebrations, and ships were swept away from the port of Seferihisar when the sea retreated before the tsunami.
Izmir’s mayor said that at least 20 buildings had collapsed; the district governor said 70 people had been rescued from under the rubble. Search efforts were underway as of Friday night.
In Samos, several buildings were damaged, and part of a church collapsed in the city of Karlovasi.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he had called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday afternoon to offer his condolences. “Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to be united,” wrote.
Tensions between the two neighboring countries had been rising in recent months, with Turkey sending ships to search for energy resources in waters that are internationally recognized as belonging to Greece.
Condolences and offers of help also came from across Europe on Friday.
“My thoughts are with Greece and Turkey. We are following the situation and we are ready to help, in every way possible ”. said The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, who has also clashed repeatedly with Ankara in recent weeks, offered to send aid to the two countries. “France stands alongside the Turkish and Greek peoples to face this terrible test”, wrote On twitter.
Several faults run through the region. In 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake near Izmit, a city southeast of Istanbul, killed 17,000 people. Greece was quick to help Turkey in the aftermath of that earthquake, which led to a rapid improvement in relations between the two countries.
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