
Desperate tourists are fleeing from Turkish and Greek resorts today after cutting short their holidays following a killer earthquake amid claims some travel reps have been telling people to sleep on sun loungers.

Huge crowds were seen at Kos International Airport as holidaymakers attempted to leave the Greek island with many resorting to lying on the ground with their luggage outside the terminal.

Experts say 29 tremors have hit the affected region since the natural disaster overnight, and rescue operations are underway.

Two people were killed and 500 more injured after the powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast, triggering a tsunami that hit resorts in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and damaged buildings across the region.

The epicentre of the magnitude-6.7 quake was off Bodrum, southwest Turkey, with the country's Aegean coast and Greek holiday islands including Kos and Rhodes worst affected. The Foreign Office today instructed visitors to 'be aware of the possibility of aftershocks.'

Holidaymakers fled hotels in terror and some even jumped from balconies as the quake hit before running for their lives to higher ground as tsunami waves surged through beachfront resorts moments later, flooding bars and restaurants, carrying away cars and depositing boats in town streets.

On the island of Kos, where a state of emergency has been declared, two male tourists - a 20-year-old from Sweden and a 39-year-old from Turkey - were killed under a collapsed ceiling at the packed White Corner Club bar. Another man from Sweden has lost both of his legs, police said.

It comes as millions of Britons are expected to head off on holiday today on what is described as the 'busiest getaway weekend' of the year - but many face losing out on thousands of pounds after travel firms refused to refund trips to Greece and Turkey following the deadly earthquake.

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Tourists wait outside the terminal building at the airport on the Greek Island of Kos following a 6.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the region

Holidaymakers have been forced to wait in the open under the hot sun after being told not to go back into their hotels. This was the scene at an airport on Kos after flights were cancelled

At least two people are dead on the Greek holiday island of Kos and hundreds more are injured after a powerful earthquake struck off the Turkish coast. Emergency services in Kos are pictured desperately searching through the rubble

The minaret from Kos's most prominent mosque - the Defterdar Mosque in Eleftherias' square - lies smashed on the square below

Dozens were injured - but many had to wait outside to receive medical treatment at Turkey's Bodrum State Hospital following the earthquake

People who were sseriously injured on the island of Kos were taken to Crete for specialist treatment. A man is pictured being rushed in Heraklion

Emergency: A woman hurt in the earthquake in Kos lies on a stretcher as she arrives in an ambulance at a hospital in Heraklion on the island of Crete

In Bodrum, the four-star Jasmin Beach Resort was flooded by tsunami waves that spread tens of miles from the epicentre up the Aegean coast

Locals were forced to seek cover as the earthquake occurred close to the Turkish town of Bodrum and the Greek holiday island of Kos. Pictured are staff at the main hospital in Bodrum

The quake, which struck at 1.31am local time, was located off the coastal city of Bodrum in southwest Turkey and close to the Greek island of Kos

Carnage: Vehicles were picked up and dumped down side streets by the force of a tsunami that swept over sea walls in the Agean coastal city of Mugla, Bodrum Province, Turkey

A cafe setting is littered with rubble following the strong earthquake on Kos overnight. Two people were killed on the holiday island, popular with British tourists

There have been claims today that some travel reps on Kos have been telling people to sleep on sun loungers for the rest of their stays because there are no beds left on the island. Tens of thousands had to sleep outdoors last night.

In Britain, tourists expecting to travel this week have told MailOnline they could lose almost £3,000 on trips they want to cancel over fears buildings in the region will be unsafe.

It is thought there are currently around 8,000 British tourists on Kos alone, with many more due to travel there over the next few days. But others have been left frustrated after trying to cancel their holidays only to be told they will not get a refund because the area is deemed to be 'safe'.

There are reports in Kos that people are struggling to contact their travel representatives. One woman told MailOnline that her mother and father-in-law 'feel totally stranded' after being forced to spend all night and today outside with no word from the travel firm they booked through.

Amiey Westwood, 25, is in Kos on holiday with friend Danielle Blower and is due to fly home at 11.30pm on Saturday, but said she had received no information from holiday provider Thomson on whether there would be any disruption.

The student told MailOnline: 'We are very shaken up, our hotel room is destroyed so at the minute we don't have any where to stay tonight. We're still feeling a lot of after shocks. There are a lot of cracks in the walls and we had to sleep outside last night on some sunbeds.

Waiting game: Tourists found any spot of shade they could find as they sheltered from the hot sun during the wait for a flight off the earthquake-hit island

There were reports that some flights off the island of Kos had been cancelled in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake

The airport is open but staff are limiting the number of people allowed inside the building due to its small size, prioritising entry on a flight by flight basis

Evacuation: Tens of thousands of tourists in coastal resorts have been left stranded outdoors after the quake. This was the scene in Kos where people have been told to wait outside their hotels

Dramatic aerial photos show the damage caused to a Greek Orthodox church on the island of Kos after this morning's quake

Aftermath: The overhead shots show how the fierce quake caused extensive damage to some buildings in Kos

Cracks opened up on the pier at the main port on the island of Kos meaning ferries were unable to dock there today

A man surveys the damage caused to the port on Kos after the huge 6.7-magnitude earthquake earlier this morning

Tourists gather at a police station on the island of Kos. Mant holidaymakers have complained that they have not heard from their tour operators this morning

'We have had no information from Thomson apart from to contact our holiday rep who is currently no where to be seen.'

A company spokesman said the firm was 'working closely with our teams in resort and the authorities to provide assistance to those affected. We can confirm that only a handful of TUI UK customers have suffered some minor injuries.'

Many had woken up to scenes of carnage in Kos Town where parts of a historic mosque came crashing down into the street. Rescuers were this morning sifting through rubble looking for trapped survivors.

Meanwhile, more than 270 people were admitted to hospitals in Bodrum, Turkey. Video taken when the quake hit showed staff and patients at Bodrum State Hospital cowering for cover, while the devastation caused a large electrical fire to break out in the city after a power pylon came crashing to the ground.

Patients were being treated in the hospital garden after the facility itself was damaged.

Tourists were forced to flee their rooms when the quake hit at 1.31am local time (11.31pm BST). They gathered anxiously in the street, and faced a sleepless night by the roadside or on beaches after they were warned not to re-enter damaged hotels.

Kristian Stevens, from Nelson in Lancashire said he felt the building he was in 'shake like a jelly'. The 48-year-old said he had just gone to bed when the quake struck at around 1.30am local time.

He said: 'It was quite surreal as I had just laid down in bed and the whole building shook. The whole building shook like a jelly.

Treatment: A man injured in Kos is lifted from the back of an ambulance ahead of being taken into a hospital on the island of Crete

Speaking as they arrived home on a flight from Gatwick airport Sheila Wiley said she woke up in the middle of the night to hers and 78-year-old husband Derek's entire bed shaking.

The pair from Bristol were on their last night of a three-month stay in their Bodrum holiday home when the earthquake hit.

Sheila, 76, said: 'It went through my head that it was a poltergeist. It was really frightening.

'We woke up in the middle of the night to the whole room was shaking and the bed was going from side to side. I have never screamed at anything in my life, but I was screaming, really screaming.

'We realised what it was and jumped out of bed. We could hear all the Turkish people outside shouting "get out, get out".

'There were aftershocks for hours afterwards so we didn't go back to our room for about three hours. Some people brought their mattresses downstairs and put them on the sunbeds and slept there.

'There was another earthquake on our way to the airport this morning. We go to Bodrum for about six months out of the year and we've had earthquakes before but only small ones.

'They were never scary, it would just be having your dinner and the table would shake. But not like this. This was terrifying.'

Civil servant Karen Davies had to carry her elderly parents down two flights of stairs to rescue them when the deadly quake struck.

They were staying in an apartment on the third floor when they felt the first tremors at about 1am.

Karen, 38, from Esher, Surrey, said: 'My whole bed was shaking. Everything was falling from the walls and shelves.

'There were glass bottles smashing and the TV nearly came off the stand. We were right in the middle of it. People outside were screaming for us to come downstairs.'

Karen then had to carry her parents Barry and Linda, 70, down the stairs to safety.

She was only in Turkey because her 72-year-old dad had an accident and needed an operation.

She said: 'We were lucky we were in our own apartment. People in hotels down the road weren't allowed to go back into their rooms. They had to spend the night sleeping round the swimming pool.'

A woman clasps a bottle of water as she is stretchered into a hospital in Crete. She had earlier been hurt in Kos after the earthquake struck

A woman holds a man's arm as he lies on a stretcher outisde Bodrum State Hospital in the aftermath of the earthquake

Cars were crushed under rubble after walls came crashing down on the island of Kos. Two tourists were killed during the tremor

Pictures show the extensive damage caused to the quay wall in Kos which appeared to break away from the harbour walkway

A building has been roped off with cautionary tape after part of its' roof appears to have broken off and fallen down

A damaged car and a house are seen after an earthquake in the village of Yaliciftlik near the resort town of Bodrum in Mugla province, Turkey

As well as tourist destinations, homes and buildings further inland were hit. A woman is pictured outside a damaged house in the village of Yaliciftlik, in Mugla province, Turkey

Panic: Dramatic CCTV footage has emerged showing terrified tourists fleeing from a restaurant as the earthquake struck in Bodrum, Turkey

BRITONS URGED TO CONTACT INSURERS Britons directly affected by the earthquake should contact their travel insurer or tour operator as soon as possible, a trade body has urged. Rebecca Hollingsworth, from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said that if needed travel policies would provide cover for medical expenses linked to injuries sustained as a result. Some policies may also cover travel disruption. She said: 'Travel insurance is there to help people in circumstances like those being experienced in Greece and Turkey. Anyone directly affected is advised to contact their tour operator or travel insurer for assistance as soon as possible.' The ABI said people booked to go to Greece or Turkey should check the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, and talk to their tour operator, travel agent or air carrier. Where alternative travel arrangements are made people can usually transfer their travel insurance to cover new dates, it said. Policyholders should speak directly to their insurer if they have any questions, it added. Advertisement

'Many of the locals rushed out into the streets still in underwear. Some have been seen with blankets and pillows not sure if it is safe to return home.'

Sophie Wild said she ran from her third floor accommodation when she woke to a loud banging noise.

The 21-year-old from Canterbury in Kent is coming to the end of her holiday in Altinkum, around 500 miles away from Bodrum.

She said: 'We were asleep and were awoken by what sounded like banging on our door, it got louder and louder and the building started shaking.

'We jumped up ran to the balcony to see what it was (my first thought when we heard the banging was that we were being attacked).

'When we realised it was an earthquake, we got an immediate sense to get out, we thought the building was going to crumble around us.

'We ran down our stairs [from the third floor].

'People were running out of rooms, banging on people's doors to make sure they were out.

'Everyone just ran outside and waited for a couple of hours - it's only now that people are starting to go back to their rooms.

'There are a few cracks in the walls but otherwise staff says it's safe.'

Local authorities ordered holidaymakers not to enter hotels due to likely aftershocks, with more than five quakes hitting the area around Turkey in just two hours.

The tremor struck at 1.31 am local time (11.31pm BST) approximately 6.4 miles south of Bodrum and 10 miles east of Kos. Turkey's Kandilli Observatory said the quake was followed by some 160 aftershocks, the highest measuring 4.8.

On Kos, four people were transferred to hospitals in Crete including one from Sweden who lost both legs in the quake and another from Greece who jumped from her balcony.

Large cracks opened up in the ground by the sea walls in Kos after the earthquake struck in the middle of the night

Many people were forced to camp outside overnight with just blankets, sleeping on chairs and sofas that had been moved into the street

Tens of thousands of tourists ans residents were forced to spend the night outdoors in coastal holiday resorts in Turkey and Greece. This was the scene in the Turkish city of Mugla

Many tourists in Mugla, Turkey, were told not to go back into their hotels and spent the night sleeping under blankets and in gardens

Aftermath: Tourists and residents survey the damage after an earthquake and tsunami shook the Turkish city of Mugla

Hundreds of revellers were in or near the popular White Corner Club in the old town of Kos when the building partially collapsed, killing two tourists.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed Turkish citizen Sinan Kurdoglu had died and said a second national in serious condition was being evacuated to Athens for treatment. The country has also sent a vessel to the island to bring some 200 Turkish tourists home.

A number of flights at the airport have been cancelled while the port suffered major damage and ships are unable to dock.

Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media that buildings on the island sustained structural damage in the quake that struck early Friday morning. Witnesses described the sea 'swelling' as tidal waves crashed over the sea wall.

Boats were smashed against seawalls as the tsunami flooded coastal roads in Bodrum province in Turkey. Thousands of tourists had to spend the night outside

A minibus was picked up and dumped by the force of water crashing over coastal walls in Mugla in Turkey's Bodrum Province

A man sleeps on the beachfront after spending the night outdoors following an earthquake in Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometers west of Bodrum, Turkey, on Friday

A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands and Turkey's Aegean coast early Friday morning, damaging buildings and a port and killing people, authorities said

A man sleeps on a hammock after spending the night outdoors following the earthquake. Many tourists were too afraid to go back inside their hotels fearing there had been structural damage to the buildings

One woman spent the night under a blanket lying on a sun lounger at the Marmara Club-Hotel following an earthquake in Theologos, Greece, about 20 miles from Rhodes Old Town

A small boat is pictured washed up along a coastal road in Kos which was flooded when the earthquake triggered a tsunami

Shop items were tossed from shelves onto the floor at this store during the earthquake, which struck off the coast of Turkey

Many tourists were forced to sleep outside along the roads or beaches after they were warned not to re-enter damaged hotels

Former footballer Kevin McNaughton said he felt the quake as far away as Dalaman, around 120 miles from Bodrum.

The former Cardiff City player tweeted: 'Jesus just experienced earthquake in turkey, literally cr***ed myself room shaking allover place, Just stood outside now no sure what to do.'

Among the tourists in Kos was Scottish diving instructor Christopher Hackland who described scenes of panic after the quake struck.

'The instant reaction was to get ourselves out of the (hotel) room. There was banging. There was shaking. The light was swinging, banging on the ceiling, crockery falling out of the cupboards, and pans were making noise,' Hackland, from the Scottish capital Edinburgh told the Associated Press.

'There was a lot of screaming and crying and hysterics coming from the hotel. It felt like being at a theme park with one of the illusions, an optical illusion where you feel like you're upside down.'

Several tourists are stranded outside their hotel after an earthquake sent them streaming onto Lambi Beach on Kos Island.

This was the scene in the resort town of Gumbet in Mugala province Turkey as boats lay in ruins, washed up on the shore by the tsunami

Cars were seen floating down coastal roads after being picked up by waves from the tsunami that hit the Greek island of Kos

Parts of a historic mosque in Kos Town also collapsed into the street and rescuers were this morning sifting through rubble looking for trapped survivors

Cars were carried away and buildings damaged as waves crashed over coastal roads in Kos. A car is seen with water more than halfway up the tyres

A powerful earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.7 has struck off the Turkish coast, triggering a tsunami in the Mediterranean and killing at least two. Pictured are damaged buildings on Kos

Stone walls came crashing down as the powerful tremors rattled the island of Kos. Just tourists were killed when a ceiling collapsed in a nearby bar

Two people have died on the party island of Kos, while dozens are injured as rescue crews work through the night to dig people from under the rubble of buildings

Lauren Duffy, a 20-year-old student from Merseyside, was evacuated along with her mother and sister from the Atlantis Hotel, which was strewn with shattered glass.

She said: 'We were asleep in our hotel room when we were woken by really violent shaking, and we all were screaming and told to evacuate from the hotel.'

She said they were able to return to the hotel just long enough to retrieve their passports before they were forced out again by tremors.

Ms Duffy said no one was hurt but the broken glass made the area unsafe. She said most of the stranded tourists there are Dutch, Russian and German.

British tourists reported panicked scenes as they were woken in the middle of the night.

Will Edmonds was staying at the Blue Lagoon resort at Lambi with his wife and two young children when he was woken 'to what I thought was a terrorist attack'.

'The building was shaking violently and all the other guests were screaming and panicking.'

Travel agent Thomas Cook said this morning that all of its 2,682 British customers in Kos and 441 in Bodrum are accounted for.

Locals and tourists in the resort town of Bitez, southwest Turkey, spent the night outdoors after the earthquake left them too afraid to re-enter damaged buildings

The earthquake caused several buildings to crumble on the Greek holiday island of Kos including this mosque's minaret

Tsunami waves caused widespread damage to the port and beach areas on Kos, with an incoming ferry unable to dock

Damage was widespread across Kos with rescuers battling to sift through rubble this morning to find any survivors

The earthquake caused cracks in one hotel, with tourists facing a night sleeping on the beach after they were told to leave the building for their own safety

In Bitez, a resort town west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets.

Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, witnesses said.

Some used sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds.

Meanwhile in Rhodes, a journalist staying in Theologos, about 20 miles from the island's main town, said their hotel 'rocked like a boat and I thought it was going to collapse'.

'We were very surprised. We were scared and we immediately went outside,' said 38-year-old Teddy Dijoux, who was holidaying with his family at a resort.

'That lasted a long time. I quickly gathered up my children to leave the hotel,' said holidaymaker Sylvie Jannot.

British tourist John O'Brennan wrote on Twitter: 'Just experienced 30-second earthquake.

Tourists were forced to flee their rooms on several holiday islands and gather in the street as panic ensued in the middle of the night

The 'violent' earthquake saw goods inside this supermarket come crashing to the floor

'I hope there are no injuries. Building shook furiously. But all OK.'

Tom Riesack added: 'Wow - terrifying to wake up to massively shaking room at 6.7 earthquake on Kos - thank God no one hurt, just shaken.'

Daniel Markham, a councillor on Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council in Kent, said he too felt the effects on the Greek island of Rhodes.

He tweeted: '#earthquake #Rhodes felt it here too. Pretty strong. Looked out the window to see the waves in the pool.'

The UK Foreign Office released a statement warning about the possibility of aftershocks and calling on Britons to follow the advice of local authorities.

It warned: 'An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 occurred off the coast of Kos on 21 July 2017. You should be aware of the possibility of aftershocks, and follow the advice of the local authorities and/or your tour operator.'

Esengul Civelek, the governor of Mugla province, which contains Bodrum, said initial reports showed there were no fatalities in their region, with a small number of people suffering minor injuries.

This photograph shows the extent of flooding by a tsunami caused by the early morning earthquake

The Defterdar Mosque in Eleftherias' square, Kos, was among the buildings badly damaged by the earthquake with its minaret crashing into the square below (pictured left before and right after)

HOW DO EARTHQUAKES TRIGGER TSUNAMIS? The magnitude-6.7 quake triggered a colossal tsunami, leaving two dead and hundreds more injured. Tsunamis are generated from large and shallow quakes with an epicenter or fault line in the ocean floor. These tsunamis usually occur at the boundary between two tectonic plates. When tectonic plates brush against or collide with each other, they trigger large rumbling earthquakes. The tremors quickly displace large areas of the ocean floor and thousands of miles of ocean bed can be offset by a single quake. This displacement generates long, high sea waves, which can spread for hundreds of miles to devastate land. Usually, it takes an earthquake with a Richter magnitude exceeding 7.5 to produce a destructive tsunami, which explains why most tsunamis occur in the Pacific along its Ring of Fire, where large tectonic movements happen more frequently. Advertisement

Mugla Mayor Osman Gurun said power outages affected certain parts of the province and that telephone operators experienced shortages due to overloads.

Bodrum Mayor Mehmet Kocadon said the earthquake had caused cracks on some old buildings.

Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that aftershocks were being felt in the region, with a 4.6 magnitude aftershock hitting at 1.52 am (22.52pm GMT).

The tsunami waves hit minutes after the main quake. The sea level in Bodrum dropped by almost a foot before water surges back in two powerful waves, cascading through the resorts and flooding buildings. Footage showed cars lifted up and carried away by the torrents.

Food and drink lies sprawled across the floor of a supermarket in the Greek island of Kos after the earthquake struck

Tourists in Kos Town this morning woke up to see historic buildings lying in ruins after the earthquake struck at 1.30am

The roof of this bar came crashing down onto the streets below in Kos. Two tourists, one from Sweden and the other from Turkey, were killed in the quake

Tsunami waves following the earthquake were strong enough to wash cars away and hit a wide area of the region dozens of miles from the epicentre

Numerous buildings crumbled in Kos during the earthquake (pictured), which struck off the coast of Turkey overnight

The area surrounding Turkey is prone to earthquakes because it is located between the Arabian plate and Eurasian plate.

This year alone, Turkey's western Aegean coast was hit by several significant earthquakes, which brought back memories of past deadly earthquakes.

In June, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake gutted a village on the Greek island of Lesbos, killing a woman and leaving more than 15 injured. The quake also caused panic on Turkey's Aegean coast.

On August 17, 1999, a huge earthquake measuring more than 7.0 magnitude near the city of Izmit devastated vast areas in the country's densely populated northwestern zone, notably around Istanbul, killing over 17,000 people.