The 7.0 magnitude tremor was recorded 14km north of the Greek island of Samos shortly before midday (UTC) on Friday (30 October), according to US Geological Survey (USGS).

It was felt in the Turkish holiday city of Izmir around 30km away from the epicentre, said the USGS, and as far away as Istanbul and Athens.

Media reports said that two teenagers died in Samos when a wall collapsed with another eight injuries reported – a "mini-tsunami" also flooded the island’s port while several buildings were damaged.

Several images showing collapsed buildings in Izmir have been published by Turkey’s Anadolu agency. Later reports said at least 20 buildings had collapsed with six deaths and more than 200 people injured.

According to Bloomberg, Turkey’s state-run TRT news network has confirmed a number of buildings in the city had collapsed.

Reuters, meanwhile, reports residents of Samos have been told to stay away from coastal areas.