July 21, 2017•Update: July 21, 2017
By Furkan Naci Top, Huseyin Kanber, Durmus Genc and Ensar Balci
ATHENS, Greece/MUGLA, Turkey
A Turkish citizen was among two people killed when a severe earthquake hit the Greek island of Kos, close to the western Turkish coast, in the early hours of Friday.
The dead man was identified as Sinan Kurdoglu by Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu.
The second victim of the 6.3-magnitude shock was a Swedish man, South Aegean Governor Giorgos Hadjimarkou said in televised remarks.
Four Turkish nationals were injured, one of them seriously. However, none of were in a life-threatening condition, a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
The four injured will be brought to Turkey by boat.
Turkey’s consulate in Piraeus, is dealing with Turkish citizens on the island.
“The consulate office continues to work on the evacuation process for more than 200 Turkish citizens in the city,” the Foreign Ministry offical said.
A Turkish passenger ship had already reached Kos to bring the citizens to Bodrum in Turkey, which was also affected by the quake and its aftershocks.
The earthquake left several others injured, six of them in a critical condition, a Greek Air Force spokesman said. They were being transported to nearby hospitals.
According to pictures posted on social media by the local fire department, a bar in the area suffered serious damage, resulting in the collapse of a wall and leading to the death of two people.
National Health Operations Center manager Nikos Papaefstathiou told local media that at least 95 people who suffered minor injuries had been examined and discharged by doctors.
The quake hit at 1.31 a.m. local time (2231GMT) at a depth of 7.8 kilometers (4.8 miles), according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Quake affects Turkey
The region was hit by approximately 40 more aftershocks ranging in strength between 3.0 to 4.6 magnitude.
Esengul Civelek, governor of the Turkish province of Mugla, said some upset residents in the area close to the quake were spending the night outdoors.
“There was no structural damage but a small number of residents were slightly injured in the panic,” she said.
Power remained on but some electrical faults were reported, Civelek added.
Mugla Metropolitan Mayor Osman Gurun said authorities took immediate measures against grass fires due to damage caused to electricity transmission lines.
Datca District Mayor Gursel Ucar said at least 15 people in his area had been taken to hospital after the earthquake.
Meanwhile, Turkish Health Minister Ahmet Demircan said 358 cases of from people affected by the earthquake, 272 of which required hospitalization although Demircan said there were no serious injuries.
Turkey’s Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute measured a minor tsunami washing over parts of Turkish Aegean coast following the earthquake.
“A 10 centimeter [4 inch] tsunami wave was measured at the sea level station in Bodrum,” it said in a statement.
Although the shock of the earthquake was announced as 6.3-magnitude, head of the Kandilli Haluk Ozener said it was a 6.6-magintude quake.
Rising sea levels in Bodrum after the earthquake caused damage to several boats and vehicles.
Boat owner Yekta Ongun told Anadolu Agency he was with his family in their craft during the earthquake. They had to flee the vessel before it sunk, he said.
Last month, the region was rattled by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Izmir's Karaburun district.
*Huseyin Kanber and Durmus Genc in Mugla, Turkey, and Ensar Balci and Zuhal Demirci in Ankara also contributed to this report.
