Earthquake Rocks Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, Hundreds Hospitalized
On Saturday, large earthquake was felt across the Aegean Sea affecting Greek islands, coastal Turkey, and even the Bulgaria capital. No fatalities have been reported yet but the story is still developing.
The earthquake was felt across northern Greece and was measured to be 6.9 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Reuters reports that various islands, including Lemnos and Samothrace. The epicenter was about 42 miles south-southwest of the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, which lies between the two aforementioned islands.
"It lasted very long, and it was very intense. We haven't got the full picture of the damage caused yet," the mayor of Lemnos, Antonis Chatzidiamantis, told Mega TV.
Across the sea, the earthquake rocked much of the western Turkish coast and was felt as far as Istanbul. Overall, around 270 people were hospitalized with various injuries, the government disaster and emergency department told Reuters. In the city of Canakkale, one person was in serious condition after jumping off a balcony during the seismic event.
According to Reuters, seismologists described the event as "severe" and warned about aftershocks possibly reaching 5.0 magnitude, if not higher.
In Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, the quake was felt at around 12:25 p.m. local time and was followed by an aftershock of about 5.0 on the Richter scale, reports the Sofia Globe.
According to the Interior Minister firefighter chief Nikolai Nikolov, there were no reported injuries nor damaged buildings, but they are still conducting inspections. Particularly the southern regions of Smolyan, Kurdjali and Haskovo, which are the closest to the epicentre of the earthquake, are under scrutiny for damage.
The earthquake was felt as far as the Romanian capital of Bucharest, according to the Sofia Globe. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) registered 18 aftershocks in the northern Aegean and western Turkey.
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