Turkey Earthquake: The latest you need to know
Dania Zainuddin
November 2, 2020
10:54 MYT
Rescue operations take place on a site after an earthquake struck the Aegean Sea, in the coastal province of Izmir, Turkey, November 1, 2020. REUTERSpic
On Friday, a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean Sea, 14km off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos island at 1:51pm local time.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was felt as far away as Athens and Istanbul, struck at a depth of 21km.
What do we know so far?
- The quake has killed 85 people and injured more than 100 people in Turkey. Meanwhile, two teenagers died in Samos, Greece, and at least 19 people were injured on the island.
Two girls were rescued from the wreckage of their collapsed apartment buildings in Izmir on Monday, three days after the earthquake.
At least 20 buildings in the city of Izmir collapsed.
Officials said 220 quake survivors were still being treated in hospitals, four of them were in serious condition.
More than 900 aftershocks have been registered since the initial quake, 42 of them with a magnitude over 4.0.
The earthquake also triggered what authorities called a "mini tsunami," causing streets to flood in parts of wider Izmir province, as well as on Samos.
Rescue workers are still searching for survivors under the wreckage of buildings in the city of Izmir and hundreds of personnel have been activated for food distribution, emergency help and building damage control.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have both shown solidarity, offering condolence and ready to help each other.
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter his country had offered to send assistance to Turkey and Greece.
Turkey and Greece both sit on fault lines and earthquakes are common. In 1999, two powerful quakes killed 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey.
* Article was updated at 6.50pm to reflect changes in death toll and rescue operations.