At least 12 people were killed and more than 600 injured in the earthquake in Izmir province in western Turkey, Turkish officials said.
The current situation was commented on by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Rescuers are working on the rubble of 17 destroyed buildings.
We are using all the possibilities for carrying out rescue operations, "RIA Novosti quoted Erdogan as saying.
Turkey's Emergency and Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) reported 607 casualties.
This is probably not the final figure - over the past few hours, one has repeatedly changed upwards.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 occurred on Friday afternoon.
The epicenter was in the sea near the city of Seferihisar, Izmir province.
As reported by Anadolu agency, the source of the earthquake was located at a depth of 16.5 km.
It is noted that the tremors lasted for about 15 seconds and were felt in many provinces of western Turkey.
In addition, after an earthquake in some coastal areas of the region, the sea overflowed its shores.
In particular, Seferihisar was partially flooded.
The earthquake was also felt on the Greek island of Samos.
The media reported two dead.
Seismologists in Greece have estimated the magnitude of the tremors at 6.9.
Izmir Mayor Tunç Sawyer said that "as a result of the earthquake, up to 20 residential buildings were damaged."
Initially, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu wrote on Twitter about six destroyed buildings in the Bornov and Bayrakli areas in Izmir.
The search for people continues in 17 buildings in Izmir, according to the Agency for Emergency Situations and Natural Disasters of Turkey.
Erdogan said that all Turkish ministries and departments have begun work to eliminate the consequences of a strong earthquake in Izmir.
İzmir'de meydana gelen # deprem'den etkilenen tüm vatandaşlarımıza geçmiş olsun.
Devletimizin tüm imkanlarıyla depremden etkilenen vatandaşlarımızın yanındayız.
İlgili tüm kurumlarımızla, bakanlarımızla bölgede gerekli çalışmalara başlamak için harekete geçtik.
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 30, 2020
“Our state with all its capabilities is next to the citizens affected by the earthquake.
All relevant departments and organizations have started to work in the disaster area, ”Erdogan wrote on Twitter.
According to Anadolu, three cargo planes have been dispatched to the disaster area, as well as AFAD and search and rescue (JAK) personnel from nearby areas.
The agency reports that the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security has sent emergency aid in the amount of 5 million Turkish lira (more than € 500 thousand) to the region.
According to Anadolu, on October 30, another earthquake occurred off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, the epicenter of which was 20 kilometers from the Kusadasi region in Aydin province in the southwest of the country.
There is no information about the consequences of these shocks.
Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Erdogan in connection with the aftermath of the earthquake in Izmir, the Kremlin press service reported.
“Please accept our deep condolences for the loss of life and the massive destruction caused by the powerful earthquake in Izmir province.
I ask you to convey words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by this disaster, ”the Russian leader said in a telegram.
France has declared its readiness to provide assistance to Turkey and Greece after the earthquake, said Foreign Minister of the Fifth Republic Jean-Yves Le Drian.
“A strong earthquake hit Turkey and several Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
Full solidarity with the Greek and Turkish population.
We are on their side and are ready to mobilize to help them, "Le Drian wrote on Twitter.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also announced his readiness to help, the press service of the head of the republic said.
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“The head of state said that our people are saddened by the news of the earthquake in the Aegean region of Turkey.
President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is ready to provide all kinds of assistance to the brotherly country, ”RIA Novosti quotes the content of the message.
It is specified that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed gratitude to Aliyev for the phone call and attention to the tragedy.
In addition, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the Turkish President to express his condolences.
The head of the Greek government wrote about this on Twitter.
“I just called President Erdogan to express my condolences over the tragic loss of life in the earthquake that struck both our countries,” he said.
At the same time, Mitsotakis added that, despite all the disagreements, "now is the time when our peoples need to be together."