ANKARA/ATHENS: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck off the southwestern Aegean Turkish coast on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The quake, which struck at 1.31am was located off the southwestern coastal city of Marmaris in the Mugla province, the USGS said. It was close to the Turkish towns of Bodrum and Datca, both major tourist hubs, and the Greek island of Kos in the Dodecanese Islands archipelago.
At least two people were killed and several injured on Kos, Greece's semi-official Athens News Agency (ANA) reported.
The agency said the deaths were confirmed by George Kyritsis, the mayor of the island which is a major tourism resort. Separately, Greece's fire service said it had rescued three injured persons from a damaged building.
Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that aftershocks were being felt in the region, with a 4.6 magnitude aftershock hitting at 1.52am.
The European quake agency EMSC said a small tsunami could be caused by the quake.
The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 6.9, was very shallow, only 10 km below the seabed, the USGS said.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said the temblor had a magnitude of 6.3, while local authorities said the quake was felt across the Aegean coast.
Turkey is prone to earthquakes because it is located between the Arabian plate and Eurasian plate. -- REUTERS