7.0-Magnitude Earthquake In Aegean Sea Jolts Turkey, Greece; Buildings Collapse, Damages Reported

Several television footage and videos circulating on social media showed people desperately removing the debris of some collapsed buildings to reach to those trapped under the rubble.

Visual of Turkey's Izmir City after the earthquake. (Image: Twitter/ @Ali__Chaudhary)

New Delhi: A massive earthquake of magnitude of up to 7.0 on Richter scale jolted the Aegean Sea on Friday and strong tremors were felt in Turkey and Greece, several foreign media reported. Soon after the earthquake struck the cities, people rushed to roads, witnessed shared information on Twitter. Even Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber showed footage of collapsed building in Izmir, a city on Turkey’s Aegean coast. As per reports, he tremors occurred in the Aegean Sea, at a depth of 16.5 kilometers (10 miles). However. strong tremors were felt across Turkey’s third-largest city and as far away as Istanbul in the north. Country's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said six buildings have been reported as collapsed in Izmir’s Bayraklı and Bornova districts.  Minor damage was reported in surrounding provinces, including Uşak, Denizli, Manisa, Balıkesir, Aydın and Mugla. Several television footage and videos circulating on social media showed people desperately removing the debris of some collapsed buildings to reach to those trapped under the rubble. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said Friday's earthquake was centered in the Aegean at a depth of 16,5 kilometers and registered at a 6.6 magnitude. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, with an epicenter 13 kilometers north northeast of the Greek island of Samos. Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0. Turkish media showed wreckage of a multiple-story building in central Izmir, with people climbing it to reach rescuers. Smoke was filmed in several spots in central Izmir. The governor said there was no immediate information on casualties. Turkish media said the earthquake was felt across the regions of Aegean and Marmara, where Istanbul is located. Istanbul's governor said there were no reports of damage. The quake was felt across the eastern Greek islands and even in the Greek capital Athens. Greek media said the residents of Samos and other islands fled their homes, while some rockfalls were reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries.