AN EARTHQUAKE of magnitude 6.3 has hit the holiday hotspot Crete in Greece – prompting a tsunami warning to be sent to residents.
The quake, with a depth of 62.5 kilometres, according to the Geodynamic Institute of Athens, was strongly felt in Crete and Rhodes.
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The US Geological Survey recorded a lower quake at 6.1 magnitude.
Citizens in Israel reported feeling shockwaves from the earthquake, especially in the centre of the country including Tel Aviv, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Efthymios Lekkas, president of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, told Greece’s public broadcaster: “The main characteristic of this strong tremor is that its focal depth was at 60 kilometres.”
“This means the seismic waves reached Kasos and Karpathos significantly weakened – and even more so in Crete – resulting, according to initial data and the first accounts from residents, in no reported impacts so far, although of course we do not yet have a complete picture.”
He added: “It was strongly felt across Crete, as well as in Rhodes, Kos and throughout the southeastern Aegean.”
Shortly after the quake, people in Rhodes, Karapathos and Kasos were sent an emergency alert about “a potential tsunami risk”, the broadcaster reported.
The epicentre of the earthquake was the tiny Aegean island of Kasos, according to the Geodynamic Institute of Athens.
More than 624,000 people reside in Crete, with around a third of the island’s population living in the capital, Heraklion.
The region lies in one of the most seismically active zones in Europe, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
It’s generally thought that any earthquake over 6.0 can cause damage if it hits a populated area.
Roughly 100 earthquakes with a magnitude between 6.1 and 6.9 are recorded each year worldwide, according to Michigan Tech University.
It comes after the idyllic Greek island of Santorini was plunged into a state of emergency in February as a total of 7,700 tremors shook the isle in two weeks.
Around 7,700 earthquakes have shaken the Santorini-Amorgos seismic zone since January 26.
