Earthquake Hits Coastal Turkey and Greece, Killing 14 Citizens

Izmir, MINA – At least 14 people were killed and more than 400 injured when a strong 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and neighboring Greece on Friday.

Images posted on social media showed one building in the coastal Turkish city of Izmir entirely collapsed with people climbing over the wreckage that was strewn with what appeared to be clothes and household objects. Video posted on Twitter appeared to show debris strewn across a central Izmir boulevard.

It was not clear how many people were trapped under the rubble in Izmir,the city’s mayor, Tunç Soyer, told NBC News. Soyer said at least 20 buildings had collapsed in the city, which is Turkey’s third-largest after Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

Twelve people were killed in Turkey, including one who drowned, and 419 were injured, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said more 438 people were injured and that rescue operations continued in 17 buildings.

On Samos, a Greek island, two teenagers died after being struck by a wall that collapsed, according to The Associated Press. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted condolences, saying “words are not enough to describe how one feels about the loss of children.”

At least 19 people were injured in Samos, with two, including a 14-year-old, being airlifted to Athens and seven hospitalized on the island, health authorities said, according to the AP.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 33.5 km (20.8 miles) off Turkey’s coast and the depth was 10 km (6.2 miles). (T/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)