ISTANBUL, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit on Friday the Aegean Sea off Turkey's western province of Izmir, killing at least six people and wounding 202 others, Turkish authorities said.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey said the earthquake happened at around 1150 GMT at a depth of 16.54 km, and the epicenter was 17.26 km off the Seferihisar district.
Izmir Governor Yavuz Selim Kosger said at a live broadcast that so far, 70 people have been rescued from the debris of the collapsed buildings in the province.
He noted that the rescue operations have been continuing nonstop.
According to press reports, the districts of Bayrakli, Bornova, and Seferihisar were the worst-hit areas.
The NTV broadcaster said at least 10 buildings were collapsed in Bayrakli alone, airing the rescue works in the debris of the fallen buildings live.
The tremor caused widespread panic among the residents in the region as people flooded the streets.
"Izmir is now completely locked," Yasemin Boncuk, a local resident, told Xinhua over the phone. "The traffic is paralyzed and ambulances and firefighter teams are everywhere. Helicopters are hovering in the air."
Boncuk was worried about how and where to spend the night amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as officials were asking people not to enter damaged buildings.
"Now, I am trying to go home in the Karsiyaka district, and I don't know what kinds of damage we have," the resident added.
Erkan Yavuz, a businessman, told Xinhua that it took nearly two hours for him to reach his home in the Karsiyaka district from his office in Bornova.
"Under normal conditions, it takes a maximum of 15 minutes," he noted. "Everyone is trying to go somewhere."
Local authorities have been urging people not to hit the roads with their private vehicles.
Some hotels and hostels in the province posted on their social media accounts that citizens whose houses were damaged could spend the night at their facilities for free.
Meanwhile, footage aired by local media outlets showed a small-scale tsunami hit the streets of Seferihisar right after the earthquake.
"The sea overflowed and possibly it was a small tsunami," Seferihisar Mayor Ismail Yetiskin was quoted by the local media as saying.
"There were also fishermen in the open sea when the earthquake happened, and we could not hear from them," he added.
The Istanbul Municipality announced that the municipal search and rescue teams and logistic units are on their way to Izmir for support. Enditem
