An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook the Mediterranean Sea between the coasts of Greece and Turkey early this morning, affecting both countries. Although the quake did not cause significant damage or casualties, experts warn that a major earthquake with strong destructive power is very likely in the region, where the Eurasian and African plates collide.
According to the Anatolia news agency, citing data from the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), the quake struck at 1:51 a.m. local time on 14 May (0:51 CET) at a depth of about 20 kilometres below the seabed and 155 kilometres off the coast of Datça, a town in the Turkish province of Muğla, south of the Aegean Sea. The powerful earthquake was felt throughout the south-western coast of Turkey, but also in Cyprus and southern Greece, as well as on the Greek islands of Crete and Rhodes.
The governor of the Turkish province of Muğla, İdris Akbıyık, reported this morning that ‘inspections in relation to the earthquake are continuing’ but that ‘no negative situations have been reported so far’. For his part, Turkey’s Minister of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, confirmed that the earthquake did not cause any damage in the country, according to initial reports from inspection teams on the ground.
Speaking to the private Turkish news channel CNN Türk, geology expert Süleyman Pampal explained that this region has a high seismic risk due to plate tectonics: ‘This region sits along the edges of the African and Eurasian plates. There have been up to seven earthquakes that have been very destructive throughout history, reaching magnitudes of between 8 and 8.5. If a major earthquake occurs here, it would come as no surprise,’ he warned.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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