AFP — At least two people were killed on the Greek island of Kos Friday when a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the popular summer resort holiday destinations of the Dodecanese Islands in Greece and the Aegean coast of Turkey.
The two people were killed when the ceiling of a building, a bar in the centre of Kos town, collapsed.
Several others, as many as 100, were injured. Two of them are believed to be in a critical condition.
The epicentre of the quake was approximately 10.3 kilometres (6.4 miles) south of the major Turkish resort of Bodrum and 16.2 kilometres east of the island of Kos in Greece at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey said.
British holidaymakers in Kos were left stranded outside their hotel after the strong earthquake sent tourists streaming from their hotels around 1.30am local time. Kos’s “old town” area, full of bars and other nighttime entertainment, was littered with fallen bricks and other debris. The island’s hotels had broken glass and other damage, leaving hundreds of tourists to spend the rest of the night outdoors, resting on beach loungers with blankets provided by staff.
In the Turkish resort of Bodrum, television pictures showed throngs of worried residents and holidaymakers in the streets. some damage to building was reported but no reports of any serious injuries were made.
The governor of the southern Mugla province — where Bodrum is located — said some people had been slightly injured after falling out of windows in panic.
The Foreign Office has warned of possible aftershocks and advised Britons in surrounding areas to follow the advice of local authorities and tour operators.
