Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits part of Turkey

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake jolted Turkey's Aegean region on Fridat October, 30 and four people died, according to the nation’s disaster agency.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the quake occurred at 3.51 a.m. local time (1251GMT) at a depth of 16.54 kilometers (around 10 miles).

The agency stated the initial death toll as four, as more than 120 were wounded. One of those who was killed had drowned, the authority said due to a small-scale tsunami. 

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said 6 buildings reportedly collapsed in Bornova and Bayraklı districts.

He said there were no reports of casualties from six other provinces where the earthquake was felt but said there were small cracks in some buildings.

Other western Turkish provinces, including Uşak, Denizli, Manisa, Balıkesir, Aydın, and Muğla saw small damages to some buildings, he said.

Turkish search-and-rescue teams continue their work on the field, the minister added.

İzmir mayor Tunç Soyer said nearly 20 buildings had collapsed in the province.

Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum said that people were trapped under the debris of five demolished buildings in Izmir after the earthquake.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said the quake was also felt in Istanbul, but no "negativities" were reported.

The magnitude 6.6 quake struck northwest of the Greek island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, said the National Observatory of Athens.

Residents of the Greek island of Samos, which has a population of about 45,000, were urged to stay away from coastal areas, Eftyhmios Lekkas, head of Greece's organization for anti-seismic planning, told Greece's Skai TV.

It was a very big earthquake, it's difficult to have a bigger one, said Lekkas.

High tidal wave warnings were in place in Samos.