Greek, EU figures express condolences over Aegean quake

Senior Greek and EU figures have expressed their condolences to those affected by the Friday-morning earthquake in the Aegean Sea.

At least two people -- including one Turkish national -- were killed on the Greek island of Kos during the quake. Injuries and damage to buildings were reported on the island and in neighboring parts of western Turkey.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was meeting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens on Friday.

The two discussed the earthquake and both expressed their condolences.

“Normality will be restored on the island of Kos,” Tsipras said, adding that Greece’s location in seismogenic area meant “we need to get familiar with this and overcome these difficulties”.

Mogherini expressed her solidarity with the Greek people, adding the EU was at the Greek government’s disposal for any need.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides earlier said the bloc’s emergency Copernicus satellite mapping system was available to help the authorities trying to deal with the quake.

A Turkish citizen was among two people killed when the severe earthquake hit the Greek island of Kos, close to the western Turkish coast, in the early hours of Friday.

The dead man was identified as 39-year-old Sinan Kurtoglu from Izmir province by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu.

A second fatality of the 6.6-magnitude shock was a Swedish man, South Aegean Governor Giorgos Hadjimarkou said in televised remarks.

Four Turkish nationals were injured, one of them seriously. However, none of were in a life-threatening condition, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.