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A POWERFUL earthquake has struck off the coast of Crete with tremors being felts as far away as Athens on the Greek mainland.
Officials fromn the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at 6.0. Greece’s Civil Protection Department said there was no cause for concern. EMSC said the quake was recorded at a depth of 35 miles between the islands of Crete and Kythera and was felt as far away as Athens 165 miles away.
A massive earthquake has struck off the coast of Crete(Image: USGS)
George Kominos, the vice-mayor of Kythera, whose remit includes civil protection, said: “It was very strong, we were swaying backwards and forwards fo r quite some time.
“We don’t have any reports of damage or injuries.”
He said schools and public buildings had been shut so they could be checked for any structural damage.
Crete has been rocked by a powerful earthquake( Image: USGS)
Witnesses described it as “deep” and “felt in many many parts of the country” but the exact impact is still unclear and so far there have been no reports of casualties or serious damage.
A resident in the Cretan town of Efthymi said: “It went on for a long time. I was outside and I could here the rails on the balconies creaking. ”
Another witness said: “Strongest I have ever felt. The house shook dramatically, scary. It felt that it wouldn’t stop. A very long few seconds!”
Crete is a popular tourist destination for British holidaymakers. In the summer,the island was hit by a 5.2 magnitude tremorwhich was felt as far away as Turkey and Italy.
The Crete earthquake comes a day after deadly tremors in Albania(Image: USGS)
Today’s powerful quake, centred44 miles northwest of Chania on Crete’s popular northern coast,follows a series of deadly tremors across the Balkans region yesterday.
(At least) 21 people were killed in Albania by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake,the most powerful to strike Europe’s poorest country in decades.
In nearby Bosnia,a 5.4 magnitude tremor struck south-east of the capital Sarajevo.
There were no immediate reports of casualties and only minor damage in that earthquake.
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