6.6 magnitude quake hits Aegean, Turkish citizen among two killed in Greece’s Kos

KOS / BODRUM

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Aegean coast of Turkey and Greece early on July 21. At least two people, including one Turkish citizen, were killed on the Greek island of Kos due to the strong earthquake.

No casualties were reported but 354 people, five of them who were in critical condition, were injured in the Aegean province of Muğla and its districts, said Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.

Yıldırım also said 24 injured people were taken under treatment.

Following the earthquake, Turkish health minister Ahmet Demircan and Deputy PM Hakan Çavuşoğlu visited injured locals in Bodrum State Hospital. 

Minister Demircan said they identified the killed Turkish citizen as Sinan Kurtoğlu, adding that the earthquake had finished with little damage.

Three Turkish people were injured in the earthquake on the Greek island of Kos, he added.

Deputy PM Çavuşoğlu stated that the government would stand by Turkish citizens with all its institutions.

Meanwhile, Kandilli Observatory and the Earthquake Research Institute of Boğaziçi University also updated the magnitude of the earthquake to 6.6 as it had previously been announced as 6.3.

The quake occurred at a depth of 7.8 kilometers, according to Disaster and Emergency Management authorities (AFAD).

Officials from Kandilli also stated the intensity of the quake as 7.0. Officials stated the epicenter of the quake was the Gökova Gulf and the quake occurred at 1:31 a.m. on July 21.

The manager of the Kandilli observatory, Haluk Özener, also said the earthquake had been felt severely, especially in Bodrum. At least 160 aftershocks have been recorded.

The 13-centimeter tsunami wave was recorded in Bodrum’s Gümbet beach, following the strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was 10 kilometers south of Bodrum and 16 kilometers northeast of Kos Island, according to the observatory.

Turkish officials said waves larger than the tsunami would not occur.

“After this earthquake, a tsunami has occurred, but not the kind of tsunami that you see in Far East countries. The tsunami was recorded with a maximum amplitude of 13 centimeters. It is worth pointing out that the location of the device inside the harbor was at a deeper level. However, much higher levels of floods were observed on the southern coast,” officials said in a press conference.

The officials also said sea water drenched nearby soil up to 100 meters along the seaside.  

“Water came flooding from 10 to 100 meters. The wave’s vertical height was between 30 and 40 centimeters, but what is important is the strength of the flow,” they said.

Previously, officials from the Kandilli observatory announced the height of the tsunami was 10 centimeters. 
Moreover, at least 60 vehicles parked on roads near Gümbet beach were dragged away after water level rose due to the quake.

A couple of hours after the earthquake the owners of the vehicles could not find them. Crews started to tow damaged cars from the area.

Several boats had also capsized in the sea due to the tsunami wave in Gümbet amid the large-scale damage in the area. Boat owner Yekta Ongun said he was with his family in a boat during the earthquake.

“Everything happened in a short time. There is major damage to our boat, it sank. Rapid changes in the sea level are ongoing,” he said. 

Burak Buz, a holiday-goer, said his car had moved about 100 meters and was damaged.


Meanwhile, a couple of hours after the earthquake, Muğla Governor Esengül Civelek told initial reports indicated no casualties or structural damage. 

Civelek said some residents had spent the night outside because of panic and fear.

There was no structural damage reported but a small number of residents were slightly injured in the panic, she said.  

“There is no electricity outage, but there have been some electric faults due to the earthquake. We are working on it,” she added. 

Muğla Mayor Osman Gürün said authorities took immediate measures against fires due to the breakage of electricity transmission lines.

Datça District Mayor Gürsel Ucar said that two houses’ walls were damaged in the Reşadiye neighborhood. At least 15 people were taken to hospitals after the earthquake, he said.

Last month, the region was rattled by a 6.2 magnitude quake that struck Izmir’s coastal Karaburun district.