As reported by CNN, a massive earthquake along the Aegean Sea has left 39 people dead. 37 of the reported deaths come from Turkey, while the remaining two occurred in Greece, on the island of Samos. The 7.0 magnitude quake left several cities in shambles. The western Turkish city of Izmir was rocked, and is reporting that twenty buildings were demolished in the quake. The earthquake was so severe that a mild tsunami was formed in its wake which flooded western Turkey.
Greece and Turkey are currently locked into a feud over ownership and exploration issues in the Meditteranean, but they have put this aside to provide assistance to their citizens. "Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan continued, "That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life." French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Twitter that France is sending assistance to Turkey and Greece as well.
There have been 615 aftershocks to this point. Over 40 of them were over 4.0 magnitude, the Turkish disaster agency reported.There have been hundreds of survivors pulled from the rubble of fallen structures, with more being found now.
