Turkey earthquake – where are Kos, Bodrum and Marmaris and what magnitude was the quake?
The 6.7 magnitude quake struck Bodrum and the Greek island of Kos with fears thousands of Brits have been caught up in the devastation
A POWERFUL earthquake has rocked holiday resorts in Turkey and Greece, triggering a tsunami and killing two people.
The 6.7 magnitude quake struck Bodrum and the Greek island of Kos with fears thousands of Brits have been caught up in the devastation. Here’s what we know…
Where are Kos, Bodrum and Marmaris?
The quake reportedly hit off the coast of Marmaris, according to the US Geological Survey.
It struck south of the Turkish city of Bodrum and east of the Greek island of Kos - areas popular with British holidaymakers.
The earthquake reportedly occurred 6.2 miles below the seabed.
Kos is one of Greece’s Dodecanese islands rich with Greek and Roman landmarks.
Bodrum is a district and a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey.
Marmaris is a Mediterranean resort town along the Turkish Riviera - also known as the Turquoise Coast - with a busy, pebbly beach and long seafront promenade.
Both Turkey and Greece sit on significant fault lines and have regularly been hit by earthquakes in recent years.
Turkey is prone to earthquakes because it is located between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
This year alone, Turkey's western Aegean coast was hit by several significant earthquakes, which brought back memories of past deadly earthquakes.
In June, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake gutted a village on the Greek island of Lesbos, killing a woman and leaving more than 15 injured. The quake also caused panic on Turkey's Aegean coast.
On August 17, 1999, a huge earthquake measuring more than 7.0 magnitude near the city of Izmit devastated vast areas in the country's densely populated northwestern zone, notably around Istanbul, killing over 17,000 people.
What magnitude was the quake?
The quake was reportedly 6.7 in magnitude. The numerous aftershocks were weaker but still could put at risk the buildings that were already damaged.
The epicentre was six miles south of Bodrum, Turkey, and ten miles north-east of Kos with a depth of six miles.
Terrified holidaymakers were seen running for their lives as tremors shook buildings and beachfront hotels were flooded.
Dozens of Brits told The Sun they woke up to find their hotel rooms "violently shaking".
Last night, the Mayor of Kos confirmed two people died on the party island after buildings collapsed.
Authorities confirmed this morning they were tourists from Turkey and Sweden.
Nobody is believed to have died in Turkey, but the Bodrum State Hospital was reportedly evacuated.
The tremor struck at 1.31am local time around 6.4 miles south of the Turkish resort, and ten miles east of Kos.
Witnesses told how sea levels dipped by about a foot before the tsunami struck, followed by mass floods shortly after.
Terrified British holidaymakers in popular Greek resort Rhodes also described waking up to "swaying" buildings.
