[ad_1]
Rescue teams in the western Turkish city of Izmir searched the surviving rubble from a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea yesterday, while the death toll rose to 27.
Authorities said the earthquake killed 25 people in the coastal areas of western Turkey, while a boy and a girl died on the Greek island of Samos after a wall collapsed on them.
Authorities said the earthquake destroyed at least 20 buildings in Izmir and that rescue work was underway amid hundreds of aftershocks in the region.
Television images and video recordings showed tireless work to rescue people from under the rubble. In the center of Izmir, images showed attempts to rescue a mother and her four children from under the rubble of a building.
Authorities said search and rescue operations were completed at eight buildings while continuing at nine sites.
Turkey’s Department of Emergency and Disaster Management said the number of wounded reached at least 804 and the region witnessed some 470 aftershocks.
The leaders of Turkey and Greece spoke by phone Friday night. The two leaders are at odds over a bitter dispute over exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
In a rare display of warmth between the two countries, the leaders of Turkey and Greece exchanged messages of solidarity.
“I just called the president (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life as a result of the earthquake that shook our two countries. Whatever our differences, these are times when our peoples must stand together.” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Twitter.
Erdogan responded in a tweet, saying: “I offer my condolences to Greece … on my behalf and on behalf of the Turkish people. Turkey is also always ready to help Greece recover from its injuries. The solidarity of the two neighbors in times difficult is more valuable than many things in life. “
[ad_2]
