Strong earthquake triggers tsunami off Turkey's coast, kills 2

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-21 20:10:17|Editor: ying
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ISTANBUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A strong earthquake on Friday killed two people in the Greek Island of Kos in the Aegean Sea.

Two people including a Turkish man were killed and at least 100 others injured in Kos, 24 km off Turkey's resort town of Bodrum, according to Turkish press reports.

The earthquake also triggered a tsunami standing up to 40 centimeters high, Istanbul-based earthquake research center announced.

Haluk Ozener, director of the Kandilli Observatory, told reporters that the tsunami swept between 10 to 100 meters into the coast of Bodrum, Mugla Province and caused floods.

Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) first reported the magnitude of the quake at 6.3, but Kandilli has revised it to 6.6.

A total of 358 people were admitted to hospitals across Mugla while 25 others have been under treatment, Turkish Health Ministry said in a statement.

Most of the injuries were reported when people attempted to flee the quake, which struck at 1:31 a.m. Friday (2231 GMT Thursday).

Tourists and local people spent the night in parks or streets, media reports said.

Turkey has sent a ferry to the Kos island to evacuate more than 200 Turkish citizens who were spending their holiday there, Daily Cumhuriyet reported.

Kandilli has measured 160 aftershocks till now with a maximum magnitude of 4.8, warning that tremors with magnitude up to 5.5 are expected.

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