Strong earthquake shakes the Greek island of Crete

Strong earthquake shakes the Greek island of Crete.

A STRONG 5.7 magnitude earthquake shakes the Greek island of Crete on Wednesday, December 29. The quake could be felt strongly as far away as Chania in the far west of the island and Egyptian authorities reported that the quake was felt in some of the country’s cities.

According to the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens, the earthquake occurred at 7.08 local time at sea, about 48 kilometres southwest of the town of Arvi, and at a focal depth of about 47 kilometres.

The epicentre of the quake is believed to have been offshore of the seaside village of Lentas, beneath the Asterousia mountain range of south Crete. The capital of Heraklion, which is around 60 kilometres away, is said to have felt very strong, but brief, tremors.

Crete has suffered some big quakes in recent months.

The island was hit by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake on September 27 which sadly resulted in one person being killed and nine other people being injured as hotels and businesses had to be evacuated.

Then just weeks after, on October 12, Crete was struck by a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Thankfully, no reports of damage or injury were reported.

As a result of the powerful quake on September 27, the island has been inundated with strong aftershocks.

There have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of this latest ground-shaking event.

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