Earthquake In Turkey, Greece Of Magnitude 6.7 Causes Casualties

UPDATE 2.43 a.m. EDT — Multiple reports say that Kos fire service rescue chief Stephanos Kolokouris has confirmed to Greek state television that the two people killed on the island were from Turkey and Sweden. Both were men. Their names have not yet been revealed.

UPDATE 12:23 a.m. EDT — The island’s mayor, Georges Kyritsis told Greece’s Skai radio the two people killed in Kos were foreigners. They have not been identified yet, according to the Guardian.

Original story:

At least two people were killed after a powerful 6.7magnitude earthquake rattled the Greek island of Kos.

Turkish and Greek officials said the quake struck near Turkish and Greek tourist destinations in the Aegean Sea in the early hours of Friday. According to reports, around 90 people have been injured, with 70 in Turkey and 20 in Kos, a popular destination for British vacationers.

The European quake agency EMSC (European Mediterranean Seismological Centre) said the earthquake could cause a small tsunami off the southwestern coast of Turkey.

Reuters stated that the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles below the sea bed off the southwestern coastal city of Marmaris in the Mugla province. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was just 6.2 miles south of the Turkish resort of Bodrum and 16km east-northeast of Kos.

The two casualties occurred when the ceiling of a bar in the center of Kos had collapsed. In Turkey, emergency authorities warned citizens about aftershocks and added there was no major damage in Turkey.

"Our people should know that aftershocks are continuing, so they should refrain from entering damaged or vulnerable structures," said Mehmet Halis Bilden, head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, as per reports.