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Massive earthquake in Greece, Turkey triggers 'mini tsunami', turns city blocks into piles of rubble

The 7.0 magnitude quake was registered 8.6 miles off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos

A deadly earthquake ravaged Greece and Turkey on Friday, October 30 collapsing buildings and causing a horrifying sea surge that flooded streets in the Turkish city of Izmir. The quake reportedly also caused a mini-tsunami on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Samos, destroying several buildings in the process, Greek public television said.

According to a report by NDTV, the 7.0 magnitude quake was registered 8.6 miles off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos, the US Geological Survey said. However, Greece's seismological agency reported a lower magnitude of 6.7 for the quake, while the Turkish government's disaster agency said it measured 6.6. Disturbing images from Izmir made rounds of the internet, showing collapsed buildings and people scurrying through the rubble stacked on the streets.

"So far, we have received information about six collapsed buildings" in Izmir province, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. "Some of our fellow citizens are stuck in the rubble," said Environment Minister Murat Kurum, adding that he knew of five collapsed buildings. But speaking to CNN Turk, the city's mayor said he had information about the collapse of at least 20 buildings. Heartbreaking images show a deluge on the streets of Izmir due to the apparent sea surge, as thick clouds of smoke veiled various parts of the city where buildings were destroyed. In fact, entire city blocks appeared to have turned to rubble in aerial footage obtained by Turkey's NTV television.

Rescuers were assisted by civilians and law enforcement as they were seen on TRT television using chainsaws to try to force their way through the rubble of a seven-story building that had collapsed, per the report. Emergency workers called for silence in order to detect signs of any survivors as they formed a human chain and cleared the debris. One woman was caught on camera being pulled out alive from underneath the rubble. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reassured citizens that he was ready to help "with all the means available to our state."

Over in the Greek island of Samos, which was closest to the quake's epicenter, people were reportedly seen rushing out onto the streets in a state of panic. "The walls of some houses have crumbled and several buildings are damaged," deputy mayor of Samos Michalis Mitsios was quoted as saying by public broadcaster ERT. "It was chaos," fellow deputy mayor Giorgos Dionysiou added. "We have never experienced anything like this."

Residents of Samos received a text message from the Greek civil protection agency to "stay out in the open and away from buildings." As a precaution, authorities also closed down the island's airport until further notice. Greece and Turkey are reportedly situated on one of the world's most earthquake-prone zones. More than 17,000 people were killed in 1999 when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey's northwest. In 2011, another quake in the southeastern province of Van claimed more than 600 lives. Meanwhile, the last deadly quake in Greece took place in July 2017, killing two people on the island of Kos, near Samos.