One Dead, Dozens Injured as 5.8-Magnitude Quake Hits Turkey
A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of western Turkey and the Greek islands early Tuesday morning, jolting tourists from their sleep and causing widespread panic in the Mediterranean region.
The tremor struck at approximately 2:17 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located about 29 kilometers north of the Greek island of Rhodes and at a depth of 68 kilometers, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
The quake was strongly felt in southern Greece, western Turkey, and along the coastal areas of the Aegean Sea.
In Turkey, at least one fatality was reported: a 14-year-old boy died in the resort town of Fethiye. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the teenager was rushed to the hospital after the quake but could not be saved.
Additionally, dozens of people sustained injuries—many hurt while trying to flee buildings in panic. Several were hospitalized in the Muğla province.
In Marmaris, a popular Turkish tourist destination, Mayor Acar Ünlü told NTV that emergency crews had been deployed to assess any structural damage.
He said the region experienced noticeable shaking, though no major destruction has been reported so far.
Tourists across the affected region, especially in the Greek islands, described being woken by violent tremors. One visitor on the fifth floor of a Rhodes hotel posted on social media:
“Nothing like being woken up on the 5th floor while an earthquake is violently shaking the building! Something I can tick off the list.”
Although earthquakes are common in both Turkey and Greece due to their location along major fault lines, the incident reignited memories of past devastation.
In February 2023, Turkey experienced one of its deadliest earthquakes in decades—a 7.8-magnitude tremor that killed more than 53,000 people and caused widespread destruction in 11 provinces.
The same quake claimed an additional 6,000 lives in neighboring Syria.
Just last month, a 6.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Crete in Greece triggered landslides and prompted tsunami warnings, though no serious injuries or damages were recorded.
Authorities in both Turkey and Greece are continuing to monitor the situation, while disaster response teams remain on alert for aftershocks.
One Dead, Dozens Injured as 5.8-Magnitude Quake Hits Turkey