Friday 21 July 2017

Strong quake off Turkish and Greek coasts kills two, injures scores


A powerful earthquake killed at least two people and injured scores when it struck near major Turkish and Greek tourist destinations in the Aegean Sea early on Friday, officials said. Local officials said 100 people were injured on the Greek holiday island of Kos, a destination favored by British holidaymakers. The identity of the victims was not immediately known.
Turkey's disaster and emergency management authority, AFAD, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, with its epicenter 11 km (7 miles) from the nearest settlement, the village of Camlik. Other reports put the quake magnitude at 6.7. Across a narrow Aegean Sea waterway in Turkey's Bodrum, about 70 people were admitted to hospital, with injuries suffered in their attempts to flee the overnight tremor, which struck at 1.31 a.m. (6:30 p.m. ET Thursday).
It was the second quake of magnitude exceeding 6.0 in the broader region this year, a level that can cause considerable damage. The Greek coast guard said damage was reported to the port of Kos, which is near a tourist strip of cafes and bars. A ferry was unable to dock because of extensive damage. Private broadcaster SKAI showed images of a damaged quay, with wide cracks in the asphalt.
"Our people should know that aftershocks are continuing, so they should refrain from entering damaged or vulnerable structures," AFAD head Mehmet Halis Bilden told broadcaster CNN Turk.
Television footage from the province of Mugla showed hundreds of people abandoning buildings and waiting on the streets, as cars shook and items fell off store shelves. Mugla Governor Esengul Civelek told a news conference there were no initial reports of major damage, although Mayor Osman Gurun said power outages hit parts of the province.
Turkey's location between the Arabian tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate renders it prone to earthquakes.

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