124 causalities in a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Greece

Shafaq News / A strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea on Friday and was felt in both Greece and Turkey, where four people were killed as buildings collapsed in the coastal province of Izmir, Reuters reported.

People poured onto the streets in panic in Izmir city, witnesses said, after the quake struck with a magnitude of up to 7.0.

The tremor could be felt as far away as in Istanbul and on Greek islands, where officials said eight people suffered light injuries on the island of Samos. High tidal waves were seen in both countries and led to flooding on parts of the Izmir coast.

The agency reported that the Turkish state media quoted the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) as saying four people died, one due to drowning, while 120 people were injured.

Izmir mayor Tunc Soyer said around 20 buildings had collapsed in the province. Izmir’s governor said 70 people had been rescued from under the rubble.

Crisscrossed by major fault lines, Turkey is among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. More than 17,000 people were killed in August 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude quake struck Izmit, a city southeast of Istanbul. In 2011, a quake in the eastern city of Van killed more than 500.