Major earthquake between Turkey and Greece kills at least 14, injures hundreds

A powerful earthquake struck between western Turkey and the Greek island of Samos on Friday, leveling multiple buildings in Turkey’s Izmir province and killing at least 14 people, authorities said.

In addition to the deaths, Turkish officials said more than 400 others were injured in Izmir, a coastal city of more than 4 million people that was also hit by a small tsunami after the quake. Dozens of rescue teams and ambulances were working in the area and looking for additional victims.

In Samos, several people were treated for light injuries and two teenagers were killed when they were struck by a collapsing wall. The other 12 fatalities happened in Izmir, where at least one of the victims drowned in flooding waters.

Turkish authorities said the earthquake registered at a 6.6 magnitude and was centered in the Aegean Sea at a depth of 10.3 miles. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0.

People work on a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, on Friday after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece.

Turkish authorities said more than 10 buildings collapsed or were destroyed in Izmir, Bornova and Bayrakli. They urged drivers to stay off the streets and asked residents to avoid coastal areas amid a risk of additional tremors and tsunamis.

The quake was followed by multiple aftershocks and triggered widespread flooding in the region. Images shared on social media showed furniture and other objects being dragged by flooding in Izmir’s Seferhisar district.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted his condolences to the victims in Samos.

“Words are too poor to describe what one feels before the loss of children," he wrote. “In these difficult times, our thoughts are with their families and the unbearable pain they are experiencing."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent a message on Twitter, saying the government would “stand by our citizens affected by the earthquake.”

The region has seen 29 other earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher in the past 100 years, according to the Geological Survey. The largest was a 7.7-magnitude tremor in July 1956 that killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 others on the Greek island of Amorgos and nearby Santorini.

Turkey had another deadly earthquake earlier this year, when a 6.8-magnitude tremor killed more than 40 people and hurt over 1,600 in eastern Elazig province on Jan. 24.

Friday’s quake was felt as far as the Greek capital, Athens and in Bulgaria.

With News Wire Services