Turkey earthquake today: Teenage girl dead and dozens injured after 5.8-magnitude strikes Marmaris area - and rocks Greek holiday island Rhodes
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Mediterranean coastal town of Marmaris on Tuesday, Turkey's disaster management agency said.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said the earthquake was centred in the Mediterranean Sea and struck at 02:17 am. It was felt in neighbouring regions, including in the Greek island of Rhodes, waking many from their sleep, Turkey's NTV television reported.
Marmari's governor Idris Akbiyik reposted a tweet that confirmed 69 people were injured after jumping out of the windows of their houses but the quake did not cause any damage in Marmaris itself. It also confirmed the sad news that a teenage girl has died. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X: "In Fethiye, a 14-year-old girl named Afranur Gunlu was taken to the hospital due to a panic attack but, unfortunately, despite all interventions, she passed away”.
So far 273 reports have been made to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) about the earthquake in Marmaris that was masured at 74km deep. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage according to USGS.
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The shockwaves were felt across parts of southern Greece, western Turkey, and coastal areas of the Aegean Sea, local reports said. Tourists in the Greek islands hit by the earthquake this morning said they were woken by violent shaking. "Nothing like being woken up while on the 5th floor building in Rhodes, while an earthquake is violently shaking the building! Something I can tick off the list," said X user Steven.
"Just experienced an earthquake on the last night of our holiday in Rhodes! That was crazy," wrote author Emma Heatherington on X. The region was struck by multiple aftershocks ranging from 2.2 to 2.9 magnitude, with epicentres near Mugla and Rhodes, shortly after the powerful earthquake jolted the islands.
Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces.