Strong Quake Shakes Turkey, Greek Islands

2 tourists killed on Kos; 70 hurt in Turkey
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 21, 2017 12:21 AM CDT
Updated Jul 21, 2017 4:14 AM CDT
Strong Quake Shakes Turkey, Greek Islands
A toppled column is seen in the harbor after an earthquake in Kos on the island of Kos, Greece Friday, July 21, 2017. Greek authorities said two tourists killed in the overnight quake are from Turkey and Sweden.   (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Rescuers are checking for trapped people inside houses on the Greek island of Kos after a powerful earthquake struck the area at night. Authorities have confirmed two deaths and say about 30 people are injured. The epicenter of the 6.5-magnitude quake early Friday morning was between Kos and Bodrum, Turkey, the AP reports. Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told local radio the main town sustained damage but the rest of the island appeared to have no problems. "The buildings affected were mostly old and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced," he said. The coast guard says the island's port was also damaged.

The two people killed on Kos have been identified as tourists from Sweden and Turkey. They died after a wall collapsed onto a bar in the Old Town of the island's main port, officials say. Turkish officials say the quake caused a small tsunami in the resort of Bodrum that flooded the lower floors of sea-front hotels and restaurants and sent moored boats crashing toward the shore. Officials in Bodrum say around 70 people were treated in local hospitals after the quake, though most injuries were sustained while people were fleeing their homes in panic. (More earthquake stories.)

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