Strong earthquake hits sea area north of Crete
A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck north of Crete on Thursday morning, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning.
The tremor struck at 6.19 a.m., 58 kilometres north-northeast of Elounda in northeastern Crete. It was 60 kilometers deep, according to initial estimates.
There have been no reports of injuries or damage, but the tremor was felt across Crete and nearby islands, rattling the locals.
Emergency services on high alert after 6.1 magnitude quake off Crete
Emergency services were on high alert in Crete on Thursday after a 6.1 magnitude quake hit off the Greek island, causing tremors felt across Turkiye and Israel.
The Fire Service said it has not received any calls for assistance so far nor reports of any serious property damage.
The tremor, which hit 79 km (49 miles) off the city of Heraklion at 6.19 a.m. (0319 GMT) on Thursday, jolted locals and tourists holidaying on the island at the start of the summer season, according to reports on X.
CCTV video posted on Facebook showed plant pots on a balcony shaking for seconds.
Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, the head of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), Efthymis Lekkas appeared reassuring, saying that the was not along the Hellenic Arc, one of the most active seismic zones in western Eurasia. He added that its focal depth makes a tsunami unlikely.
The OASP president made similar comments to Skai TV later, saying that “the great depth acted to diffuse some potentially severe impacts,” as did the distance from Crete.
“There is no cause for concern; we are monitoring the situation to assess it further,” Lekkas said. “Usually, these types of earthquakes are not precursors to larger ones – they tend to be the main event, and we usually don’t see a rich aftershock sequence. That is, the aftershocks are few and small in magnitude. These earthquakes occur once, all at once.”
Greece is one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone countries and an unprecedented level of seismic activity shook the popular tourist island of Santorini for weeks earlier this year, prompting thousands to evacuate and shutting schools.
[Reuters/Kathimerini]
