Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis offered his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the deaths caused by the powerful earthquake that struck the eastern Aegean island of Samos and the city of Izmir on Friday.

“I just called President Erdogan to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life from the earthquake that struck both our countries. Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,” Mitsotakis said in a tweet.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reciprocated in wishing condolences to Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“I offer my condolences to all of Greece on behalf of myself and the Turkish people. Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds,” Erdogan said in a tweet.

“That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life,” he added.

The comment followed a call between the two leaders discussed tremor.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, with an epicenter 13 kilometers (8 miles) north-northeast of the Greek island of Samos. The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0.

EU, NATO and WHO offer assistance to Turkey and Greece

The EU, NATO, the World Health Organization and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation offered assistance to Turkey and Greece as the earthquake shook the Aegean region. 

“Closely following the developments of the strong earthquake that hit the Aegean Sea off Greece and Turkey,” European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.

“My thoughts are with all the people affected.” 

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, also took to Twitter to show support. 

“We are following the situation and we stand ready to help, in all possible ways,” she wrote. 

Also, NATO’s secretary-general said the alliance stands ready to help “its allies Greece and Turkey.” 

“I am deeply saddened by the reports from the earthquake in the #Aegean. My thoughts go to all those affected,” Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), said the world health body is in close watch of the developments happening in Turkey and Greece after the earthquake. 

In a videoconference, Tedros said they will be working with the two countries to ensure that emergency medical care is provided to those in need. 

He also wished a fast recovery to those effected by the earthquake.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also extended condolences over loss of lives and wished a speedy recovery to all those affected by the earthquake. 

*This is a developing story

At least 14 people died Friday in Turkey and Greece after a powerful earthquake struck off the shore of a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea. Emergency crews are working to find victims and survivors of the earthquake, which registered a magnitude 7.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. More than 100 aftershocks have been felt, Turkish officials said.

The earthquake’s worst effects are being reported in western Turkey, where officials said 12 people are dead and more than 600 are injured. At least 17 buildings were destroyed or damaged in Izmir — one of Turkey’s largest cities, which was known in antiquity as Smyrna.

One person died by drowning, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority. The agency said search and rescue crews are still trying to reach anyone who might be trapped or injured.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life from the earthquake that struck both our countries.” 

The Greek leader added, “Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together.”

The strong quake struck north of Néon Karlovásion, a small town on the Greek island of Samos. At least eight people were injured there, according to Greek state-run broadcaster ERT. But it also reported that two high school students, a boy and a girl, died in the city of Samos after a wall lining a narrow street collapsed on them.

The earthquake crumbled old buildings on the island; it also triggered a wall of seawater that flooded stores and swept cars away, ERT reported.

The quake shook a broad section of western Turkey – particularly Izmir, where hundreds of thousands of people live some 40 miles from the quake’s epicenter. Turkey said its military is rushing relief supplies and personnel to the area.

Friday’s earthquake is an “intraplate event,” the USGS said, resulting from the Africa plate grinding along the Eurasia tectonic plate. The earthquake, which hit roughly 155 miles north of the main boundary between those plates, is largely consistent with earlier temblors in the region, the agency said.

“While commonly plotted as points on maps, earthquakes of this size are more appropriately described as slip over a larger fault area,” the USGS said. It added that a 7.0 magnitude quake would normally have a fault area of 50 by 20 kilometers — about 31 by 12 miles.

Each year, the Africa plate moves northward around 10 millimeters (around 4/10 of an inch), the agency said. 

*This is a developing story.

The quake struck just off coast of west Turkey on the Greek island of Samos in the eastern Aegean Sea, about 11 miles off the coast of western Izmir, at 1.51pm local time.

The Deputy Mayor of Eastern Samos said multiple buildings had collapsed in the area according to local news outlets. 

He also reported large waves. 

The quake was so powerful it also rocked the Turkish city of Izmir with shocking footage and pictures showing rubble after the collapse of multiple buildings. 

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor was felt as far away as Athens and Istanbul. 

Reports also said tremors were felt on the Greek island of Crete. 

President of Samos hospital workers described the scenes of panic. 

He told SKAI: “A few minutes ago we experienced a very big earthquake similar to that Samos has been experiencing for many years. People are panicking. They have gone out in the squares, in the streets. It was an earthquake that lasted several minutes. Very strong.”

There were also unconfirmed reports of rockfalls on Chios, while the powerful earthquake, which was felt some 300 kilometers away in Athens and has been given a magnitude of 7 Richter by the European and American seismological agencies – a bit higher than the National Observatory of Athens’ revised reading of 6.7 Richter – also affected Kos and other islands in the area.

Greek seismologist Efthymios Lekkas told Greek state television ERT that it was still too early to say whether this was the main earthquake, although he said it was likely it was.

The earthquake appears to have struck nearby Turkey especially hard, with the state-run Anadolu Agency reporting that five buildings have collapsed or been badly damaged in the seaside town of Izmir and people are trapped in the rubble.