People walk in the old town of Chania on the Greek mediterranean island of Crete on July 19, 2022, while temperatures remain at normal for the season levels despite the heatwave in northern parts of Europe. Crete island is reaching its touristic full capacity, as Greece is recovering Covid-19 related losses fast approaching pre-pandemic 2019 levels in terms of arrivals and revenues. (Photo by Louisa GOULIAMAKI / AFP)
A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck off the Greek island of Crete early Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake occurred at a depth of 68.9 kilometers, with its epicenter located approximately 58 kilometers northeast of the town of Eloúnda.
Residents in the region fled into the streets in fear, said Alexis Kalokairinos, Mayor of Heraklion, speaking to ERTNews. One old building in the city center sustained damage, and local authorities began inspecting schools as a precaution.
Greek media reported that residents described the tremor as unusually long, although the perceived duration of earthquakes is not officially tracked by monitoring agencies.
Footage shared by the news outlet Cretapost showed the island shaking, triggering car and home alarm systems.
According to the Greek newspaper To Proto Thema, the quake was also strongly felt on the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Cyclades, and as far away as Cyprus.
Thanasis Ganas, head of research at the Geodynamic Institute of Athens, said the risk of aftershocks was minimal.
As a precaution, Greece’s disaster management agency issued a tsunami alert, sending warnings via SMS to residents in the affected areas. However, no tsunami was reported.
The quake comes shortly after a swarm of smaller tremors struck northern Euboea, Greece’s second-largest island. Over a 24-hour period, several quakes—up to magnitude 4.7—were recorded, with vibrations felt as far as Athens, about 130 kilometers away. Local media said more than 50 homes were damaged in that series of quakes.
