Aftershocks terror as the hunt goes on for quake survivors
Fearful residents flee homes after warning
Rescue teams were yesterday searching through building debris after Turkey was rocked by an earthquake.
At least 39 people died when the 6.9 magnitude quake hit the country’s Aegean coast and the north of the Greek island of Samos on Friday.
More than 80 0 other s were injured, with buildings toppling in Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city.
The quake was followed by hundreds of aftershocks and a small tsunami.
Early yesterday, onlookers cheered as rescuers l i f ted teenager Inci Okan out of the rubble of a devastated eight-storey apartment block.
Friends and relatives waited for news of loved ones sti l l trapped inside, including employees of a dentist ’ s surgery that was located on the ground floor.
Two women, 53 and 35, were rescued from another building. At least 24 people were killed in Izmir, including an elderly woman who drowned, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency.
Two teenagers were killed on Samos after being struck by a collapsing wall.
At least 19 people were injured on the island, with two, including a 14- year- old, ai rl i f ted to Athens on the mainland and seven in hospital on Samos.
The tsunami that hit the Turkish coast also af fected Samos, with seawater flooding streets in the main harbour town of Vathi. Authorities told people to stay away from the coast.
The earthquake was felt across the eastern Greek islands and as far away as Bulgaria.
Authorities warned residents in Izmir not to return to damaged buildings, saying they could collapse in aftershocks. Many people spent the night out in the streets, too frightened to return to their homes.
More than 3000 rescue personnel were sent to Izmir.
In a rare show of solidarity after months of tense relations, Greek and Turkish government officials issued mutual messages of solidarity.