Balance heats up over 20 dead from earthquake in Turkey, Greece

In Turkey, at least 20 people died on the Greek island of Samos and 19 were injured.

Research and rescue operations in 17 collapsed or damaged buildings are under way in Izmir.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan to express his condolences.

Despite our differences, these are cases where our people should stay together”, he said on Twitter. The two countries have been involved, now and many months, in disputes over gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea. The conversation followed that between the two foreign ministers earlier.

According to witnesses, once the quake occurred, people ran into the streets in panic in the coastal city of Izmir. Some neighborhoods were filled with seawater, which caused floods.

Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer said around 20 buildings have collapsed in the province. Izmir Governor said 70 people had been rescued from the ruins.

Unfortunately, four of our citizens lost their lives during the” earthquake, Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote earlier on the social Twitter network.

The swing reportedly caused a small tsunami at the port of Samo.

Ismail Yetskin, Izmir Mayor Seferhisar, said sea levels rose as a result of the earthquake. It looks like there's a little tsunami”, he told NTV broadcaster.

Residents of the Greek island of Samos, which has a population of about 45,000, were asked to stay away from coastal areas, has told of Sky T, Eftyhmios Lekkas, head of the Greek anti-Sismic planning organisation, Reuters reported.” was a very powerful 911 earthquake, Lekas said.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Organisation said Friday's earthquake had a 6.6 magnitude on the Richter scale.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had a 6.9-degree magnitude, with a 13km-old epidex northeastern of the Greek island of Samos. The U.S. Geological service announced a 7.0 - degree Ricter power.

Turkish media show up images of the ruins of a multistory building in central Izmir, and people climbing into it to reach rescue teams. The images also showed smoke at several points in central Izmir.

Turkish media said the earthquake was felt throughout the Aegean and Marmaras regions, where Istanbul's city is located. Istanbul's governor said there are no reports of damage.

The quake was also felt throughout the eastern Greek islands and even in Greece's capital, Athens. Greek media said residents of Samos and other islands fled their homes.

In January more than 30 people were killed and more than 1,600 injured when an earthquake struck Turkey's eastern province of Elazig.

In July 2019, the Greek capital, Athens, was hit by a quake that halted energy in large parts of the city.

A powerful earthquake that struck the Turkish town of Izmi, near Istanbul, in 1999 killed about 17,000 people.