Seismologists warned that people should expect a series of strong aftershocks to follow the 6.7 Richter earthquake that hit the island of Samos and the Turkish coast on Friday. They urged the public to stay away from 'distressed' buildings. A large number of aftershocks have been recorded so far, with the strongest measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale.

The director of the National Observatory of Athens Geodynamics Institute, Akis Tselentis, said that the 6.7-Richter quake was the main tremor but warned that very strong aftershocks as high as 6.2 Richter are expected to follow and that island residents should be extremely cautious, and avoid going near damaged buildings.

Professor of Seismology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Kostas Papazachos stated that the quake was between 6.8 to 7 Richter and that this was why it caused such serious damage in Turkey.