LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) – One woman was killed on the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday (June 12) after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Turkey, rattling buildings from the Aegean Turkish province of Izmir to the Greek capital Athens.
The epicenter of the quake was about 84 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of the Turkish coastal city of Izmir, in the sea south of Lesbos. The National Observatory of Athens put it slightly lower, at 6.1.
The quake caused extensive damage to a village on Lesbos, which was at the forefront of a migration crisis two years ago when hundreds of thousands of war refugees landed there seeking a gateway into Europe.
Collapsed buildings were surrounded by piles of rubble and debris-covered cars blocked the narrow streets of Vrissa, a community of around 600 people to the south of the island.
A woman, believed to be about 60, was crushed by the roof of her home and died, according to the island’s mayor. Local officials said at least 10 people were injured.
A local fire brigade official said tens of brick houses had collapsed in the village and several roads were blocked.
Major geological fault lines cross the region and small earthquakes are common, though anything higher than 5.5 is rare. Anything exceeding that is capable of causing extensive damage.
