A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.7 killed two people and injured scores more when it struck near major Turkish and Greek tourist destinations in the Aegean Sea early on Friday, Turkish and Greek officials said.
Local officials said at least two people died and 100 were injured on the Greek holiday island of Kos, a popular destination particularly with British holidaymakers.
Across a narrow Aegean Sea waterway in Turkey's Bodrum, around 70 people were admitted to hospital, injured in their attempts to flee the overnight temblor which struck at 1.31 a.m. local time (6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday).
The tremor is the second in the broader region exceeding a magnitude of 6.0 this year, a level which can cause considerable damage.
A local hospital official said 100 people were injured, most slightly.
Greek authorities had dispatched helicopters to airlift the injured to the larger island of Rhodes for treatment, Yiorgos Hadjimarkou, the head of the South Aegean region said.
"Our primary concern right now is (safeguarding) human life," he told Greek state broadcaster ERT.
Police sources said the roof of a bar in Kos collapsed.
The Greek coastguard said damage was reported to the port of Kos, which is near a tourist strip of cafes and bars. A passenger ferry was unable to dock because of extensive damage.
The European quake agency EMSC said a small tsunami could be caused by the quake, but Turkish broadcasters cited officials saying large waves were more likely.
Several stores were damaged in Bodrum's Gumbet district as a result of rising sea levels, store owners told broadcaster NTV.
A local Kos website, Kostoday.com, showed images of rising sea levels and parts of the tourist strip flooded, and large chunks of rubble elsewhere. One showed the picture of a small fishing boat on a road.
The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 6.9, was very shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Turkish and Greek authorities put its magnitude lower at 6.3 and 6.4. Local authorities said the quake was felt across the Aegean coast.
In Turkey, emergency authorities warned citizens about aftershocks, and added there were no casualties or major damage in Turkey.
"Our people should know that aftershocks are continuing, so they should refrain from entering damaged or vulnerable structures," Mehmet Halis Bilden, head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency told broadcaster CNN Turk.
Television footage from the Mugla province showed hundreds of people abandoning buildings and waiting on the streets. It showed cars shaking and products falling off shelves at stores across the region.
Mugla Governor Esengul Civelek told a news conference that initial reports showed there was no major damage, though Mayor Osman Gurun said power outages hit parts of the province.
Turkey is prone to earthquakes because it is located between the Arabian plate and Eurasian plate.
More than 600 people died in October 2011 in Turkey's eastern province of Van after a quake of 7.2 magnitude and powerful aftershocks.
In 1999, two massive earthquakes killed about 20,000 people in the densely populated northwest of the country. A 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people in Greece.
Reuters
Fri Jul 21 2017
Damage caused by a quake in Kos, Greece, July 21, 2017 is seen in this still photograph uploaded on social media. - Osman Turanli/Social Media/Handout via Reuters
Thailand: Enam muka baharu sertai Kabinet Srettha
Perdana Menteri Thailand Srettha Thavisin melantik enam menteri kabinet baharu.
Anwar bertemu PM Jordan, tekan kepentingan sokong pengiktirafan negara Palestin di PBB
Pada pertemuan itu, Perdana Menteri turut menekankan kepentingan memastikan Israel dipertanggungjawabkan terhadap kekejamannya di Palestin.
Lebih ramai atlet dijangka layak ke Paris 2024
Kontinjen Malaysia ke Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024 terus diperkuat dengan empat lagi atlet berjaya mengesahkan slot ke temasya terbesar dunia itu minggu ini, menjadikan sejumlah 10 atlet layak setakat ini
AWANI Ringkas: Polis sahkan Chegu Bard direman dua hari
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Pegawai kastam maut dalam kemalangan babit tiga kenderaan
Seorang pegawai kastam maut dalam kemalangan membabitkan tiga kenderaan di Kilometer 18.2 Lebuh Raya Utara Selatan arah Utara, semalam.
AWANI 7:45 [28/04/2024] – Malaysia tumpu pelaburan baharu | Pertumbuhan saksama dan inklusif | Kajian pertubuhan buruh antarabangsa | Tabung Haji teruskan bantuan
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas #AWANI745 bersama Dzulfitri Yusof
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Liek Hou rangkul dua lagi emas di Sepanyol
Jaguh badminton para negara Cheah Liek Hou terus cemerlang apabila menggondol dua pingat emas pada Kejohanan Badminton Para Sepanyol Antarabangsa II 2024 pada Sabtu.
Negara maju harus tundukkan 'ego' dan bekerjasama dengan ASEAN - Penganalisis
Menurut Faisal, ini kerana negara membangun di ASEAN sedang mencorak ekonomi ke arah lebih mampan yang perlu dimanfaatkan negara maju
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara - Ewon
Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai "duta" untuk mempromosikan produk PMKS dan koperasi negara.
Fokus Minggu Depan: Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama
Break The Siege: Fokus Minggu Depan membincangkan topik Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama susulan penangguhan misi penghantaran bantuan ke Gaza anjuran Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).