People sleep at a playground following an earthquake in the Mediterranean island of Kos, Greece. Photo / AP
People sleep at a playground following an earthquake in the Mediterranean island of Kos, Greece. Photo / AP
Tourists heading to Turkish and Greek resorts face an agonising decision about whether to go ahead with their holidays following an earthquake which claimed two lives.
Children were seen sleeping in a park following the powerful earthquake on Thursday, which left more than 500 injured.
The quake triggered a tsunami that hit resorts in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and damaged buildings across the region.
Shocking pictures reveal the devastation which the natural disaster left in its wake, and the British Foreign Office is warning of aftershocks.
But tour operators say it is business as usual, and angry Brits have complained that companies are refusing to cancel their holidays.
It comes after many holidaymakers were initially told to sleep on sunloungers as emergency services assessed the damage caused.
A statement from Thomas Cook said: "Customers in Kos were evacuated from hotels as a precaution and to allow an assessment of damage, but most have now been able to return.
A woman walks in front of the damaged facade of Agios Nikolaos church following an earthquake in Kos, Greece. Photo / AP
"Our early inspections show that while a minimal number of properties do not currently have mains water supply and are experiencing intermittent power problems, utilities should be back to normal later today.
"Our quality team is also visiting hotels to check they continue to meet our health and safety standards and that, where necessary, clean-up operations are underway.
"The impact of the earthquake was lower in Bodrum, Turkey. Our teams on the ground are visiting customers in our hotels to provide support where necessary."
Huge crowds were yesterday 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 hit the affected region in the hours following the earthquake.
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.
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.
A car crushed under rubble near the port of the Greek island of Kos. Photo / AP
On the island of Kos, where a state of emergency was 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 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.
Yesterday Brit Gary Taylor, 51, told MailOnline he could lose almost $5200 on a trip to Kos he wants to cancel over fears buildings in the region will not be safe.
He said Thomson, whom he booked the holiday with, told him the region was safe and that he should continue to take his wife and daughter on the trip.
Taylor, of Newton Abbott, Devon, said he is due to go to Kos with wife Katy and daughter Summer, 13, next week, but tried to cancel it or rearrange the destination with Thomson.
But he was told he could not have the $4800 he paid refunded due to the "terms and conditions" of his deal.
Taylor told MailOnline: "I've been a customer with Thomson for years. A similar thing happened before with the uprising in Egypt. We went there a week later and it was the worst holiday we ever had.
"There were armed guards everywhere and there was about 80 people in our hotel, which would usually have 1000.
"I said I wanted my money back but they told me no and that it was safe. But Kos is not going to be rebuilt in a week and I asked if they could guarantee me the buildings there and my hotel were structurally sound and they couldn't.
"They can't guarantee me my hotel won't fall down next week. It's ludicrous to send people there a week after what happened."
There have been claims 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.
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 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.
A cafe setting is littered with rubble following a strong earthquake on the Greek island of Kos. Photo / AP
Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media that buildings on the island sustained structural damage in the quake. Witnesses described the sea "swelling" as tidal waves crashed over the sea wall.
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.
Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that aftershocks were being felt in the region, with a 4.6 magnitude aftershock hitting at 1.52 am.
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.
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.
