Strong quake shakes Aegean island of Samos

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - A large scale earthquake hit the eastern Aegean island of Samos on Friday.

The epicenter of the quake was recorded 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) northwest from the island's center and its depth was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the National Observatory of Athens Geodynamic Institute reported.

The quake was recorded at 1.51 pm local time (1151GMT) and it sent reverberations that were also felt in the Greek capital Athens.

The institute initially put the magnitude of the quake at 6.6 but later revised it to 6.7.

The tremor also jolted Turkey's Aegean region, according to the nation’s disaster agency.

Bugra Gokce, secretary general of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, told news channel NTV that some houses in the city had been destroyed in the tremor.