The death toll from the earthquake in the Aegean Sea has risen to 26. In western Turkey, at least 24 people were killed and over 800 were injured, the Turkish authorities report. On the Greek island of Samos, two teenagers died when they ended up under a collapsing wall.
Rescue workers in the stricken western Turkish province of Izmir are still busy looking for survivors in collapsed and damaged buildings.
Mosques have been opened to accommodate people who have been made homeless by the earthquake for the time being.
According to the Athens Seismological Institute, the quake had a magnitude of 6.6. The epicenter of the quake was just north of the island of Samos, but the quake was also felt in the Greek capital. According to the AFAD, nineteen aftershocks followed after the earthquake.
Earthquake triggered small tsunamis
Residents of Samos, an island of about 45,000 inhabitants, were advised to stay away from the coastal areas. There was a small tsunami in the coastal town of Vathy. According to local media, the earthquake on the island resulted in damage to buildings, among other things.
According to the mayor of Izmir, Tunc Soyer, about twenty buildings have collapsed in the province of the same name. The governor of the province reports that 70 people have been removed from the rubble. A small tsunami is said to have also occurred in the Turkish district of Seferihisar.
Rutte: ‘Cabinet is willing to help’
The Netherlands is ready to help Greece and Turkey after the severe earthquake, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at his weekly press conference on Friday. The Prime Minister spoke of a “terrible report”.
“If we can help, we are available,” said Rutte. “We sympathize very much with Turkey and Greece.”
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