Earthquake kills two, injures hundreds in Greece, Turkey

An overnight earthquake that hit coastal tourist destinations in Greece and Turkey injured nearly 500 people and killed two on the Greek island of Kos. The 6.5 magnitude quake struck at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, followed by more than 100 aftershocks. Authorities on Kos said the two tourists who died came from Sweden and Turkey. They were in a local bar when the quake caused the ceiling to collapse. Rescue officials airlifted about 13 injured people to nearby hospitals. The quake destroyed churches, a mosque, and the island’s 14th century castle. “We were literally shaken out of our beds from deep sleep,” Tom Hickman, a German tourist on the island, told the Guardian. “The whole room was shaking and we fled into the open.” Authorities in Turkey said about 350 people suffered injuries, with many sustaining only minor scrapes and bruises as they escaped buildings. The quake caused cracks in the walls of some buildings in the Turkish resort of Bordrum and flooded the lower floors of several seafront hotels and restaurants.