Quake rocks Greek isle Kos; 2 people die

Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road from the stones after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday, July 21, 2017. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing at least two people, authorities said. (Kostoday.gr via AP)
Firefighters and rescuers try to clean a road from the stones after an earthquake on the Greek island of Kos early Friday, July 21, 2017. A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing at least two people, authorities said. (Kostoday.gr via AP)

KOS, Greece -- An earthquake shook the Greek island of Kos early today, damaging several buildings and the main port, killing at least two people and causing more than 120 injuries, authorities said.

The 6.5-magnitude quake rattled Turkey's Aegean coast as well, but Kos was nearest to the epicenter and appeared to be the worst-hit, with all of the deaths and injuries reported there. Buildings with damage included the old mosque and a 14th-century fortress at the entrance to the main port.

Fallen bricks and other damage were seen in Kos' "old town" area, full of bars and other nighttime entertainment. Hundreds of tourists spent the rest of the night outdoors, resting on beach loungers with blankets provided by the establishments.

Minor damage -- cracks in buildings, smashed windows and trashed shops -- appeared widespread, according to city officials.

Rescuers were checking for people trapped inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night and were heading to outlying villages to check for damage. Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis said the army was mobilized along with emergency services. The island's port was among structures that were damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.

"The buildings affected were mostly old and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced," Kyritsis told state-run Greek media outlets.

Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended because of the damage at Kos' main port, and coastal roads were flooded.

Greek officials said the quake was magnitude 6.5. It was centered 6 miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 10 miles east-northeast of Kos with a depth of 6 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to Turkish disaster officials, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks were recorded.

Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties there according to initial assessments. She said "there were minor injuries due to fear and panic."

Information for this article was contributed by Derek Gatopoulos, Ayse Wieting and Elena Becatoros of The Associated Press.

A Section on 07/21/2017

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