A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale rocked western Turkey on Friday (October 30th) and caused the collapse of several buildings, the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS) and Turkish media reported.
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The tremor, which was felt as far away as Istanbul and Athens, occurred in the Aegean Sea, southwest of Izmir, Turkey's third largest city, and near the Greek island of Samos.
A "
mini-tsunami
" occurred on it, causing the collapse of the walls of several houses and flooding in the port of Samos according to the images broadcast by the public television station Ert.
“
At this stage, we have received information that six buildings have collapsed in Bornova and Bayrakli
” in Izmir province, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter.
“
Some of our fellow citizens are stuck in the rubble,
” added Environment Minister Murat Kurum, reporting five buildings collapsed.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said no damage was immediately observed in the country's economic capital.
"
All our institutions have started to go to the scene to start the necessary efforts
," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.