At least 26 people were killed in Turkey and Greece after a powerful earthquake hit the Aegean Sea on Friday afternoon, sending buildings crashing down and triggering what authorities have called a “mini tsunami.”
Reports say 24 people were killed in coastal areas in Turkey’s west, while two teenagers; a boy and a girl died on the Greek island of Samos after a wall collapsed on them.
In Turkey, at least 20 buildings in the city of Izmir alone were razed down and images showed vehicles crushed under the buildings and people digging through the rubble in search of survivors.
At least 804 people have been injured in Turkey, said the country’s disaster agency. Dozens were saved by rescue teams using diggers and helicopters to search for survivors.
A total of 196 aftershocks have been recorded, 23 of which were over 4.0 magnitude.
Earthquakes are common in Turkey and about 17,000 people died in a quake in the western city of Izmit in 1999.
In January 2020, at least 31 people were killed and more than 1,600 injured in a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey.
The magnitude-6.8 quake centered on the town of Sivrice in Elazig province caused buildings to collapse and sent residents rushing into the street.