24 killed in Turkey earthquake

A powerful earthquake has struck off Turkey's Aegean coast and north of the Greek island of Samos, destroying homes and killing at least 24 people.

The 7.0 magnitude tremor was centred off Turkey's Izmir province, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Turkey put the magnitude lower, at 6.6, saying 20 people had died and 799 were injured in the province of Izmir. On Samos, two teenagers were killed.

The shallow tremor triggered a mini-tsunami that flooded Izmir and Samos.

The authorities in Izmir, the provincial capital, are now setting up a tent area to house about 2,000 people overnight, amid fears that more buildings could collapse.

The authorities said that 70 people had been rescued from under the rubble.

Turkey and Greece both sit on fault lines and earthquakes are common.