Earthquake strikes in Aegean Sea off coast of Turkey, Greece

By Zamira Rahim, CNN

Updated 5:14 p.m. ET, October 30, 2020
8 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
10:24 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Minor injuries and building damage reported on Greek island

From CNN’s Chris Liakos in London and Elinda Labropoulou in Athens

At least four people have been injured on the Greek island of Samos following the quake.

Nikos Stefanis, the president of Samos Hospital, said all four injuries had been minor and suffered by individuals with orthopaedic problems.

He said there was building damage across the island, with the worst sustained in the area of Karlovasi, in northwest Samos.

Describing the quake, Stefanis said it as very strong and had lasted a long time.

Samos Deputy Mayor Giorgos Dionisiou told Greek media that the collapsed buildings were mainly old ones.

The Greek Fire Service in a statement said that so far, only damage to buildings had been reported. The statement said there had been no calls about trapped people.

Even so, the people of Samos have been told by Greek authorities to stay away from the island's shores and buildings.

Residents have also been asked to evacuate their houses for the next 48 hours for precautionary reasons. 

Greece's Geodynamic Institute said the epicenter was in the sea 19 kilometers north of the island of Samos. 

10:09 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Major search and rescue efforts underway in Turkey

From CNN's Mostafa Salem

Rescue workers and local residents try to reach people trapped in the debris of a collapsed building in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020.
Rescue workers and local residents try to reach people trapped in the debris of a collapsed building in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Ismail Gokmen/AP

Thirty eight ambulances, 35 National Medical Rescue teams and two ambulance helicopters are at the scene of the earthquake in Izmir, the Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Thursday.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management officials said at least 120 people were wounded in the quake.

10:02 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

At least 4 killed, says Turkish health minister

From Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey on October 28, 2020.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey on October 28, 2020. Aytug Can Sencar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

At least four people have died following the earthquake, Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter

In total, 120 Turkish citizens were affected by the disaster, he added. 

9:53 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Eyewitness: "I threw myself outside"

From CNN's Hande Atay Alam

Search and rescue work is being conducted at a building in the Bayrakli district of Izmir after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Turkey's Aegean Sea coast on October 30, 2020.
Search and rescue work is being conducted at a building in the Bayrakli district of Izmir after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Turkey's Aegean Sea coast on October 30, 2020. Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Zeki Soysal, an eyewitness in the Turkish city of Izmir, said he threw himself out of a building as the earthquake hit.

"I threw myself outside in [the] last second, my building collapsed," he told CNN Turk Friday.

Soysal added: "There was an older woman in the building but we saved her, she got out. There is another building close to this building, they are continuing to try to get the people out." 

11:03 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Buildings damaged on Greek island of Samos

From CNN's Elinda Labropoulou

The earthquake has caused damage on the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean sea.

Greece's Institute of Geodynamics said the quake's epicenter was in the sea 19 km north of the island, at a depth of 2 km from the surface. 

Photographs have emerged of a large church on Samos which has partly collapsed.

The quake was also felt in the Greek capital of Athens.

9:34 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Turkish president pledges to "stand by" affected citizens

From CNN's Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier on Friday.
Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier on Friday.  Islam Yakut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted “Get well soon İzmir” in the aftermath of the quake.

“With all the means of our state, we stand by our citizens affected by the earthquake. We took action to start the necessary work in the region with all our relevant institutions and ministers,” Erdogan added. 

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management said that the epicenter of the quake was 17 km (11 miles) off Izmir's coast, at a depth of 16 km in the Aegean sea.

9:09 a.m. ET, October 30, 2020

At least 20 buildings damaged in Turkish city of Izmir 

From CNN's Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

At least 20 buildings have been damaged in the Turkish city of Izmir, its mayor Tunc Soyer told CNN Turk. 

Soyer said there were no reports of casualties as of now.

The quake struck 19 km north of Greece's Samos Island in the eastern Aegean Sea, according to the Athens Earthquake Institute.

12:04 p.m. ET, October 30, 2020

Major earthquake strikes Aegean Sea near Turkey and Greece

From CNN's Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

A view of damaged buildings in the aftermath of the earthquake in Izmir, Turkey on October 30.
A view of damaged buildings in the aftermath of the earthquake in Izmir, Turkey on October 30. Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

At least six buildings have fallen in the Turkish cities of Izmir, Bornova and Bayrakli after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean Sea nearby, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Soylu said there were no reports of loss of life in several cities.

“Our teams continue their screening and interventions in the field," he said in a tweet Friday.

Arwa Damon reports: