The recent 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Rhodes on June 3, 2025, serves as a stark reminder of the geological volatility that characterizes the Turkey-Greece border region. Occurring at 23:17 UTC, this seismic event was felt across southern Greece and western Turkey, alarming both residents and tourists alike . The quake's epicenter was located approximately 12 miles from Rhodes at a depth of 42 miles, highlighting the potential for significant tremors in areas populated by individuals unaccustomed to such natural phenomena .
At least one person has died in Turkey, while dozens of people sustained injuries as panicked locals tried to jump off their buildings, according to local reports.
The quake struck about 29km north of Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands near the Turkey border, at around 2.17am (local time) on Tuesday at a depth of 68km, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
There was no initial reports of buildings destroyed in residential areas but a 14-year-old girl in the resort town of Fethiye died after having a panic attack, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media.
Türkiye sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.
In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Türkiye and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
Many popular seaside resorts are located in Mugla province, including Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye, which welcomed 3.7 million foreign visitors in 2024, the Anatolu state news agency said.
The earthquake was also “broadly felt” in Greece’s Dodecanese islands, the national quake protection authority chief Efthymios Lekkas told the enikos.gr news portal, saying some tourists in Rhodes had been forced to evacuate their hotels.
Scottish Labour councillor Nairn Angus-McDonald posted on X: “Nothing quite like a 6.6 magnitude earthquake to wake you up in the middle of the night in Rhodes.”
Professor Efthymios Lekkas, president of the Greek Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, told local media: “It is an earthquake whose main characteristic is its depth.
Tourists reported intense shaking within hotels and public spaces, prompting immediate concern for their safety. Although there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or structural damage in Rhodes itself, local authorities remained vigilant as emergency teams prepared for any aftershocks that could follow . Travel companies like TUI quickly updated their clients regarding safety protocols while reassuring them that significant harm had not occurred in the area .
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