2 dead, over 100 injured following devastating earthquake near Greece, Turkey

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Turkey’s Aegean coast and several Greek islands, killing two and injuring over 100 others early Friday morning.

Officials say the deaths happened on the Greek island of Kos, where the island’s mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said that buildings sustained structural damage.

A man walks near a damaged building after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday, July 21, 2017. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey’s Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing people, authorities said. (Kalymnos-news.gr via AP)

Other officials said an old building on the island collapsed, injuring people below.

The quake struck at about 1:30 a.m. local time. USGS measured the earthquake at 6.7 magnitude, but Greece officials measured it at 6.5 magnitude. The earthquake was very shallow as it originated only 10 km (6.2 miles) below the earth’s surface. As of early Friday morning, aftershocks are ongoing.

Kos and several of the nearby towns, including Turkey’s Bodrum and Datc, are all major tourist destinations.

The chairman of Turkey’s disaster and emergency management presidency said that there were no major injuries or damage reported in the country. However, the European earthquake agency EMSC reported a small tsunami along the Turkish coast.

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