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- After the earthquake in the Aegean Sea, the death toll in western Turkey rose to 12.
- At least 419 people were injured, the Turkish civil protection agency Afad said late Friday.
- The Greek island of Samos is also affected. Two young men were found dead after the violent tremors.
According to Turkey’s national disaster authority, the earthquake had a force of 6.6. The center of the earthquake was in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish province of Izmir, about 16 kilometers north of the Greek island of Samos, Turkish and Greek media reported.
Turkish television station TRT showed images of collapsed apartment buildings and clouds of dust over the city of Izmir. Panic was reported in the streets during the earthquake, telephone connections were disrupted.
Also dead on Samos
The tremors were also felt in Greece. The island of Samos is particularly affected. According to media reports, two young men were found dead after the violent earthquakes. Greek authorities had previously reported eight wounded who had been transferred to the island’s hospital after the earthquake. There was still uncertainty about other injuries or deaths in Greece.
There was a tsunami in the small town of Vathy. Greek television stations showed images of the flooded coastal walk, where the water washed away the cars. Flooded streets can also be seen in images from Seferihisar, Turkey. There was also reportedly a small tsunami there. In an interview with TRT, experts warned of a possible additional tsunami.
The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam provided information 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.
Help offered
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the population in a tweet. Help the people affected by the earthquake by all means.
The European Union and NATO offered assistance to Turkey and Greece. “My thoughts go out to all those affected,” EU Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter. “The EU is ready to provide support.”
