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A tsunami hit the Turkish province of Izmir and the Greek island of Samos on Friday. In the Turkish city of Izmir alone, according to the civil protection agency Afad, 17 people died and at least 709 were injured. The Seferisihar district to the south of the city was hit by a small tsunami, according to the Kandili Observatory Earthquake Research Institute.
Izmir Governor Yavuz Selim Kosger announced that more than ten houses were destroyed by the earthquake. So far, at least 70 people have been rescued from the rubble, others have been buried. According to Afad, search teams are in action in 17 buildings.
Floods in Samos
According to media reports, two 17-year-olds were found dead on the Greek island of Samos. Apparently they had been hit by a collapsing wall. According to the AP news agency, 19 other people were injured. Two seriously injured were flown to Athens for treatment. Seven people are hospitalized on the island.
According to the Foreign Ministry, so far there is no evidence that Germans could be among those killed and wounded in the countries.
The US earthquake monitoring station, USGS, reported a magnitude 7 for the earthquake. The Kandili Observatory estimates the magnitude at 6.9. Therefore, the center of the earthquake was in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish province of Izmir, about 16 kilometers northeast of the Greek island of Samos.
The earthquake lasted unusually long
With around 30 seconds, the tremors lasted extraordinarily, according to the Samos City Council. The tsunami also caused flooding in the island’s capital, Vathy. Greek television channels show images of the flooded coastal promenade, where the water washed away the cars. Videos circulated on Twitter that the water continued to rise along the boardwalk hours after the earthquake.
The German Geosciences Research Center (GFZ) in Potsdam also reported on the “severe earthquake with tsunami”. According to GFZ calculations, the waves reached heights of more than 1.5 meters; they could possibly reach up to three meters high on the coast. Before that, clouds of dust had risen over Samos. Many buildings were damaged, Greek state television reported.
Tremors to Athens and Istanbul
According to various reports, the quake, which according to the Anadolu news agency occurred at 2:51 pm local time, was felt in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul and even the Greek capital Athens.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the population in a tweet. Help the people affected by the earthquake by all means, he wrote. Erdogan also telephoned the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. They said they had exchanged mutual wishes for a speedy recovery.
The President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, also offered aid to Turkey and Greece. “My thoughts are with all those affected,” Michel wrote on Twitter on Friday. “The EU is ready to provide support.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also offered help.
