Earthquake kills 25 in western Turkey and two people on Greek island of Samos

Much of the damage occurred in and around Turkey’s Aegean resort city of Izmir, which has 3 million residents and is filled with high-rise buildings

Felt in both Istanbul and Athens, it created a diplomatic opening for the historic rivals, with the Greek PM placing a rare call to Turkey to offer his support

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Rescuers search a site in the coastal province of Izmir, Turkey, on October 31, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:15am, 31 Oct 2020Updated: 10:55pm, 31 Oct 2020

Rescuers dug through heavy blocks of concrete with their bare hands on Friday in a desperate search for survivors after a powerful earthquake levelled buildings across Greece and Turkey, killing at least 27 people.

The late afternoon quake caused a mini-tsunami on the Aegean island of Samos and a sea surge that turned streets into rushing rivers in a town on Turkey’s west coast.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.0 tremor hit 14 kilometres off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos.

Volunteers in Izmir, Turkey, clear rubble as they search for survivors in a collapsed building. Photo: AFP

Felt in both Istanbul and Athens, it also created a diplomatic opening for the two historic rivals, with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis placing a rare call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer his condolences and support.

Much of the damage occurred in and around Turkey’s Aegean resort city of Izmir, which has 3 million residents and is filled with high-rise apartment blocks.

Parts of entire apartments, including toys, pillows and shattered appliances, spilled out on the streets, where survivors huddled in tears, many too shocked to speak.