1 dead, 9 injured after strong earthquake shakes Crete, Greece

A man died when the dome of a church in the town of Arkalochori caved in during renovation works.

 Students and their teachers are seen at a square following an earthquake in Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece, September 27, 2021. (photo credit: REUTERS/STEFANOS RAPANIS)
Students and their teachers are seen at a square following an earthquake in Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece, September 27, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/STEFANOS RAPANIS)

A strong earthquake measuring 5.8 shook Greece's largest island Crete on Monday and one person was killed when a church dome collapsed, authorities said.

The quake, which sent people out of their homes and public buildings and caused considerable damage, was described by a Greek seismologist, Efthymios Lekkas, as a "thunderbolt" with strong aftershocks.

A man died when the dome of a church in the town of Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, a police official said. Civil protection authorities said nine people were injured in the quake, which damaged many buildings.

The tremor prompted many people in Crete's main city Heraklion to rush outdoors. Schoolchildren were told to leave their classrooms, gathering in schoolyards and town squares.

"It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds," a local mayor told Skai television.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake's magnitude reached 5.8 and its epicenter was 23 kilometers (14 miles) northwest of Arvi in southeastern Crete, at a depth of 10 km.

Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake measured 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, George Georgiopoulos Editing by Mark Heinrich)

 Firefighters look for people in the rubble of a demolished church following an earthquake, in Arkalochori on the island of Crete, Greece, September 27, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/STEFANOS RAPANIS)
Firefighters look for people in the rubble of a demolished church following an earthquake, in Arkalochori on the island of Crete, Greece, September 27, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/STEFANOS RAPANIS)

The quake had a depth of 2 km (1.24 miles), EMSC said.

Further minor quakes continued to strike the island afterward. This includes one magnitude 3.7 quake and another magnitude 4.8, according to the EMSC. 

Later, a fourth quake with a magnitude of 3.0 was felt in Crete, followed by several more throughout the day.


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At the time of writing, 14 quakes have been felt in Crete within the last three hours, the EMSC tweeted.

The quakes were reportedly even felt in Athens and in Izmir, Turkey, according to the EMSC.

This is a developing story.