A 5.1-MAGNITUDE earthquake has rattled Athens and surrounding areas.
The powerful quake struck just off the coast of Evia – Greece’s second-largest island – and was strongly felt in the capital in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
AlamyAn earthquake rocked central Greece on Tuesday morning[/caption]
The quake measured 5.2 in magnitude and struck at a depth of just 2.3 kilometres, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute.
It hit Evia – 31 miles northeast of Athens – just before 12.30am.
A smaller aftershock struck about 15 minutes later, registering 2.5 on the Richter scale.
Stergios Tsirkas, mayor of Marathonas – a town on the mainland coast opposite Evia – said the tremor “was very intense”, reports Kathimerini.
President of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, Efthimis Lekkas, told Greek public broadcaster ERT that while the island isn’t known for strong quakes, “at the moment we are evaluating all the data in order to have more certain information and estimates”.
He added it’s likely there will be aftershocks overnight, ranging between magnitude 4 and 4.5 on the Richter scale.
“We have deployed vehicles to eastern Attica and southern Evia,” said Minister of Civil Protection Yiannis Kefalogiannis.
Journalists for ERT were live on air when they noticed the cameras shaking and felt the ground move beneath them.
They immediately reported: “A strong earthquake is currently underway and continues.”
There are no reports of damage or injuries so far.
Evia is Greece’s second-largest island – both in area and population.
Greece is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, rattled by around 25,000 quakes every year.
That’s because it sits along huge fault lines – like the Hellenic subduction zone – where the African tectonic plate is being pushed beneath the Aegean Sea plate.
GettyThe earthquake was also felt in Athens[/caption]
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