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Desperate tourists crowd outside Greek and Turkish airports after cutting short their holiday following quake that killed two as travel firms 'tell people to sleep on sun loungers for rest of their vacation'

Alexander Robertson and Julian Robinson for MailOnline

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7-20-17

  • Powerful magnitude-6.7 quake has struck off the south west coast of Bodrum, Turkey, triggering a tsunami
  • Two male tourists from Sweden and Turkey killed on Greek holiday island of Kos when a bar ceiling collapsed
  • Tsunami waves flooded beachfront hotels along the Aegean coast with Bodrum and Marmaris worst affected
  • Parts of a Kos mosque collapsed into the town square, while the tremors were also felt on Crete and Rhodes 
  • Rescuers were this morning urgently searching for any more victims trapped under rubble with hundreds hurt
  • Tens of thousands of tourists have spent the night outside after being told not to re-enter their hotels
  • Collapsed pylons in Bodrum sparked huge electrical fires while power was out across much of the region  
  • Tourists told how their hotels were 'shaking like a jelly' before the tsunami sent people fleeing low ground
  • Were you caught up in the earthquake? Email julian.robinson@mailonline.co.uk

 

Desperate tourists are fleeing from Turkish and Greek resorts today after cutting short their holidays following a killer earthquake amid claims some travel reps have been telling people to sleep on sun loungers.

Huge crowds were seen at Kos International Airport as holidaymakers attempted to leave the Greek island with many resorting to lying on the ground with their luggage outside the terminal.

Two people were killed and 500 more injured after the powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast overnight, triggering a tsunami that hit resorts in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and damaged buildings across the region.

The epicentre of the magnitude-6.7 quake was off Bodrum, southwest Turkey, with the country's Aegean coast and Greek holiday islands including Kos and Rhodes worst affected. The Foreign Office today instructed visitors to 'be aware of the possibility of aftershocks.'

Holidaymakers fled hotels in terror and some even jumped from balconies as the quake hit before running for their lives to higher ground as tsunami waves surged through beachfront resorts moments later, flooding bars and restaurants, carrying away cars and depositing boats in town streets.

On the island of Kos, where a state of emergency has been declared, two male tourists - a 20-year-old from Sweden and a 39-year-old from Turkey - were killed under a collapsed ceiling at the packed White Corner Club bar. Another man from Sweden has lost both of his legs, police said.

It comes as millions of Britons are expected to head off on holiday today on what is described as the 'busiest getaway weekend' of the year - but many face losing out on thousands of pounds after travel firms refused to refund trips to Greece and Turkey following the deadly earthquake. 

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Tourists wait outside the terminal building at the airport on the Greek Island of Kos following a 6.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the region

Tourists wait outside the terminal building at the airport on the Greek Island of Kos following a 6.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the region

Holidaymakers have been forced to wait in the open under the hot sun after being told not to go back into their hotels. This was the scene at an airport on Kos after flights were cancelled

Holidaymakers have been forced to wait in the open under the hot sun after being told not to go back into their hotels. This was the scene at an airport on Kos after flights were cancelled

At least two people are dead on the Greek holiday island of Kos and hundreds more are injured after a powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast. Emergency services in Kos are pictured desperately searching through the rubble

At least two people are dead on the Greek holiday island of Kos and hundreds more are injured after a powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast. Emergency services in Kos are pictured desperately searching through the rubble

The minaret from Kos's most prominent mosque - the Defterdar Mosque  in Eleftherias' square - lies smashed on the square below

The minaret from Kos's most prominent mosque - the Defterdar Mosque in Eleftherias' square - lies smashed on the square below

Dozens were injured - but many had to wait outside to receive medical treatment at Turkey's Bodrum State Hospital following the earthquake

Dozens were injured - but many had to wait outside to receive medical treatment at Turkey's Bodrum State Hospital following the earthquake

People who were sseriously injured on the island of Kos were taken to Crete for specialist treatment. A man is pictured being rushed in Heraklion

People who were sseriously injured on the island of Kos were taken to Crete for specialist treatment. A man is pictured being rushed in Heraklion

Emergency: A woman hurt in the earthquake in Kos lies on a stretcher as she arrives in an ambulance at a hospital in Heraklion on the island of Crete

Emergency: A woman hurt in the earthquake in Kos lies on a stretcher as she arrives in an ambulance at a hospital in Heraklion on the island of Crete

In Bodrum, the four-star Jasmin Beach Resort was flooded by tsunami waves that spread tens of miles from the epicentre up the Aegean coast

In Bodrum, the four-star Jasmin Beach Resort was flooded by tsunami waves that spread tens of miles from the epicentre up the Aegean coast

Locals were forced to seek cover as the earthquake occurred close to the Turkish town of Bodrum and the Greek holiday island of Kos
People cower in Bodrum

Locals were forced to seek cover as the earthquake occurred close to the Turkish town of Bodrum and the Greek holiday island of Kos. Pictured are staff at the main hospital in Bodrum

The quake, which struck at 1.31am local time, was located off the coastal city of Bodrum in southwest Turkey and close to the Greek island of Kos

Carnage: Vehicles were picked up and dumped down side streets by the force of a tsunami that swept over sea walls in the Agean coastal city of Mugla, Bodrum Province, Turkey

Carnage: Vehicles were picked up and dumped down side streets by the force of a tsunami that swept over sea walls in the Agean coastal city of Mugla, Bodrum Province, Turkey

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4716232/Magnitude-6-7-quake-hits-Turkey-USGS.html

A cafe setting is littered with rubble following the strong earthquake on Kos overnight. Two people were killed on the holiday island, popular with British tourists

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There have been claims today that some travel reps on Kos have been telling people to sleep on sun loungers for the rest of their stays because there are no beds left on the island. Tens of thousands had to sleep outdoors last night.

In Britain, tourists expecting to travel this week have told MailOnline they could lose almost £3,000 on trips they want to cancel over fears buildings in the region will be unsafe.

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It is thought there are currently around 8,000 British tourists on Kos alone, with many more due to travel there over the next few days. But others have been left frustrated after trying to cancel their holidays only to be told they will not get a refund because the area is deemed to be 'safe'.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4716232/Magnitude-6-7-quake-hits-Turkey-USGS.html#ixzz4nTv6MN8d

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