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The earthquake caused the most damage in Turkey, where the metropolis of Izmir in particular was hit hard. According to the mayor of Izmir, at least twenty buildings in the city collapsed. On Friday afternoon, people walked without purpose among the rubble.
The governor of Izmir province reports that at least 70 people have been removed from the rubble. Rescue work continues even after sunset. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ready to help “by whatever means available to our state.”
View the first images from Izmir here:
Nothing is yet known about Dutch victims. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the embassy in Ankara is ‘investigating the local situation’.
Floods
The shock was felt from Istanbul to Athens. In Greece, buildings and roads have been damaged, according to local media. The Deputy Mayor of Samos told Greek public broadcaster ERT that “the walls of some houses have crumbled and several buildings have been damaged.” There are also reports of floods there.
The coastal town of Vathy was inundated by a small tsunami. Greek television stations showed photos of the flooded coastal promenade, where the water washed away cars.
People throng at a flat in Izmir.
Ⓒ AFP
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Power of 7.0
The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6, according to the Athens Seismological Institute. The epicenter was north of the island of Samos, where floods can also be seen, some seventeen kilometers from Izmir. According to the Turkish Authority for Disaster and Emergency Services, the quakes took place at a depth of 16.5 kilometers around 12.50 a.m. Dutch time.
The American institute USGS also speaks of a quake with a magnitude of 7.0.
Turkey is located in one of the most active earthquake zones in the world. In 1999 northwestern Turkey was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, killing more than 17,000 people, including 1,000 in Istanbul. Another quake in 2011 in the southeastern province of Van left more than 600 deaths.
Mutual support
Foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece on Friday pledged to help each other after their countries were hit by a major earthquake.
“Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias called our Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to wish him strength. Both ministers emphasized that they are ready to help each other in an emergency, ”said the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two countries are currently at odds with each other over energy rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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