Greece rocked by second earthquake in a week as strong 6.0 magnitude tremor strikes in the Mediterranean off Turkey sending shockwaves as far away as Israel
- Tremors were felt as far away as Israel when quake struck at 6.32am GMT
- ‘Really felt that one… Lasted for 30 seconds,’ said a witness on Rhodes, Greece
- It also shook the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Beirut, Cairo and other cities in Egypt
- Authorities said it struck 117 miles off the resort town of Kas, in Antalya, Turkey
Greece was rocked today by its second earthquake in a week as a strong magnitude 6.0 tremor struck in the Mediterranean off Turkey.
Shockwaves were felt as far away as Israel and Egypt when the quake struck at 6.32am GMT. There was no immediate report of any damage or casualties.
‘Really felt that one… Lasted for 30 seconds,’ said a witness from Lindos on the Greek island of Rhodes.
It also shook the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Beirut, Cairo and other cities in Egypt, as well as parts of Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Dramatic surveillance footage from a supermarket in Crete shows goods falling from the shelves and lamp shades swaying as the tremors struck.
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said the undersea quake struck 117 miles off the resort town of Kas, in Antalya province
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said the undersea quake struck 117 miles off the resort town of Kas, in Antalya province.
Kas’ district governor, Saban Arda Yazici, said authorities had not received any reports of damage or injury in Kas or its environs.
The quake comes after two powerful earthquakes rocked Crete in recent weeks, killing one man, injuring dozens more and destroying hundreds of buildings.
Geologist Efthymios Lekkas, of Athens University, told local broadcaster Skai that Monday’s quake was part of a broader seismic activation in the region.
But he added that no tsunami was expected from the underwater quake.
Prof. Lekkas said: ‘Because it is a deep earthquake, it is easier to feel it in a wider area and no tsunami or strong aftershocks are expected.’
Last Tuesday, a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Crete, destroying an historic church and shaking houses for miles around.
Those tremors came just two weeks after another earthquake that killed a man, injured ten people and damaged hundreds of homes on the Greek island.
The victim, identified locally as Iakovos Tsagarakis, 65, was killed by falling debris as he was working to restore the dome of the church of the Prophet Elias in Arkalochori which caved in during the quake.
His son was one of several others injured in the collapse, but he managed to escape and call the emergency services, though he suffered several broken bones according to Protothema.