Powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake destroys buildings in Turkey and sends people fleeing from their homes on Greek islands
- At least six buildings collapsed in the Turkish city of Izmir after the earthquake struck in the Aegean Sea today
- Walls crumbled and buildings were damaged on the Greek island of Samos where people fled their homes
- Turkish disaster management officials said the earthquake was centred 10.3 miles deep in the Aegean
Turkey and Greece were battered by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake today that destroyed buildings on the Turkish mainland and sent people fleeing from their homes on the Greek islands.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said Friday's earthquake was centered in the Aegean at a depth of 10.3 miles.
Turkish media said at least six buildings were destroyed in Izmir and footage showed people climbing over the debris of wrecked buildings in the city, with one minister saying that people were trapped under the wreckage. 
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had an epicentre eight miles from of the Greek island of Samos
The rubble of a building is heaped on the ground after it collapsed during the Aegean earthquake on Friday
Smoke over the city of Izmir which appeared to have taken the heaviest damage of the earthquake on the Turkish side
People look at the rubble of a building in Izmir after the earthquake struck on Friday
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had an epicentre eight miles from Samos.
Samos's 45,000 people were urged to stay away from coastal areas, Greece's top seismologist Eftyhmis Lekkas told Skai TV. 'It was a very big earthquake, it's difficult to have a bigger one,' said Lekkas, adding that 'a tsunami cannot be ruled out.
People rushed into the streets on Samos and other islands following the tremor, which Greek officials put at magnitude 6.6 and the US Geological Survey at 7.0.
In Turkey, pictures showed the wreckage of a multiple-storey building in Izmir, with people climbing it to reach rescuers. Turkey's environment minister said people were trapped under at least five buildings.
Smoke was blowing over several spots in Izmir, while debris was floating along the streets in high waters in the town of Seferihisar.
Turkish media said the earthquake was felt across the regions of Aegean and Marmara, where Istanbul is located. However, Istanbul's governor said there were no reports of damage.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 'with all the means of our state, we stand by our citizens affected by the earthquake'. 'We have taken action to start the necessary work in the region with all our relevant institutions and ministers,' he said.
Turkey is on the 14-day quarantine list for British tourists, while Greece and most of its islands including Samos are on the approved list for travellers from England, with Scotland and Wales applying their own rules.
Both countries reported aftershocks.
Damaged buildings in Turkey where the earthquake destroyed at least six buildings
A person receives treatment after feeling faint following the 6.6-magnitude earthquake on Turkey's Aegean Sea cost today
The sun shines over a heap of rubble as people begin the clean-up operation in Izmir on Friday afternoon
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