Earthquake kills two and injures hundreds in Greece and Turkey

firefighters rubble — Firefighters sort through rubble following ane earthquake on the Greek island of Kos, one of the locations that accounted for the death of two people and 200 injured. (Image credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

At least two people died and around 200 were injured when an earthquake hit the Turkish coast and Greek islands overnight triggering a tsunami.

It struck at around 1.30am local time between the holiday resorts of Bodrum in south-west Turkey and the Greek island of Kos, The Guardian reports. A small tsunami hit both areas.

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The island appeared to be the worst affected, reports the Daily Mail. The two people known to have died, who have not been named, were both foreigners in Kos, Kyritsis said. Reports said they died when the ceiling of a building collapsed.

"The buildings affected were mostly old and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced," added the mayor.

Rescue teams continued to search through the rubble on Friday. There are no reports of any British casualties at the time of writing.

The US Geological Survey earthquake monitor said the quake was particularly shallow, lying six miles below the seabed and with an epicentre six miles from Bodrum and ten miles from Kos. Beachfront hotels in the Turkish city of Marmaris were also flooded, the Daily Telegraph says.

Turkish officials warned people in the area to be prepared for aftershocks and to avoid the beaches in case of large waves. Many tourists opted to spend the rest of the night outside.