A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck north of the Greek island of Crete on Thursday morning, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning. This is reported by UNN with reference to the local publication Ekathimerini.
Details
"The tremor occurred at 6:19 a.m. (local time) 58 kilometers northeast of Elounda in northeastern Crete. According to preliminary estimates, its depth reached 60 kilometers," the message reads.
The fire service said it had not yet received any calls for assistance or reports of serious property damage, but the earthquake was felt throughout Crete and neighboring islands, frightening locals and tourists holidaying on the island at the start of the summer season.
Emergency services were put on high alert in Crete after the earthquake, which was also felt in Turkey and Israel.
A video from surveillance cameras posted on social media shows pots of plants on a balcony shaking for several seconds.
Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, Head of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP) Efthymis Lekkas appeared reassuring, saying it was not along the Hellenic Arc, one of the most active seismic zones in western Eurasia. He added that its focal depth made a tsunami unlikely.
Later, the President of OASP made similar comments to Skai TV, saying that "the great depth contributed to the dissipation of some potentially serious impacts," as did the distance from Crete.
"There is no reason to worry; we are monitoring the situation to assess it further," Lekkas said. - Usually these types of earthquakes are not precursors to larger ones - they are usually the main event, and we usually do not see a rich sequence of aftershocks. That is, there are few aftershocks, and they are small in magnitude. These earthquakes happen once, all at the same time."
Let us remind you
On May 13, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 also occurred on the island of Crete in Greece. It could potentially lead to significant destruction.
Greece is one of the most seismically active countries in Europe, and unprecedented levels of seismic activity have shaken the popular tourist island of Santorini for weeks earlier this year, prompting thousands to evacuate and close schools.