Strong quake off Greece, no early reports of damage, injuries

Greece’s Geodynamic Institute reported the tremor as a magnitude 6.4, 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Zakynthos. Both U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), assessed the quake as a magnitude 6.8.

The tremor was felt in Greece’s capital, Athens, and as far away as Italy, Malta, Albania and Libya.

The epicentre was in the Ionian Sea, some 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Patras in the Peloponnese, according to the USGS. The earthquake was particularly felt on the island of Zakynthos, also known as Zante, where power was briefly down.

A fire brigade official in Athens said there were no early reports of damage or casualties.

But a spokesman for Greece’s civil protection agency told Reuters that three people had been taken to hospital, two of them slightly injured.

Local news websites reported that a 15th century monastery in the Strofades area of the island had been damaged.

There were power cuts and slight damage to the port of Zakynthos, near the epicentre.

“We have been in contact with the local authorities to see where there is damage,” spokesman Spyros Georgiou said, adding that efforts were focussed on villages with old buildings.

Italy’s Il Messaggero online news site reported that the quake had been felt hundreds of kilometres (miles) away in southern Italy. Firefighters in Sicily, Calabria and Puglia received thousands of telephone calls for information about the quake.

An official confirmed a tsunami alert had been issued. The EMSC European quake agency tweeted that there had been a slight increase in sea levels of about 20 cm (7.87 inches) but said it could be higher locally.

The quake was fairly shallow, according to the USGS, only 14 km (8.7 miles) below the seabed, which would have amplified shaking.

It struck at 1:54 a.m. (2254 GMT on Thursday) and was followed by a series of moderate aftershocks.Greece straddles two tectonic plates and often gets earthquakes.

“It was strong, things fell of the shelves,” a witness in Katastari, Greece, 36 km (22 miles)north of the epicentre, wrote on the EMSC website.

Soon after the quake there were only 3 postings on the EMSC testimonials page, which is unusual for a quake of such magnitude.