Powerful earthquake strikes Crete, Greece for 2nd time in under a month

According to the EMSC, the quake was felt in places as far away as Cairo and Istanbul.

Crete (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Crete
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)

A powerful earthquake rattled the Greek island of Crete on Tuesday for a second time in less than a month but there were no immediate reports of damage.

A magnitude 6.3 tremor was centered at sea, some 23 km (14 miles) east of the village of Zakros in eastern Crete, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

The quake was at a depth of 2 km, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

The fire brigade had not received any immediate calls for help, a police official said.

According to the EMSC, the quake was felt in places as far away as Cairo and Istanbul.

Another quake struck around 8 kilometers northwest of the nearby Greek island of Kárpathos, witnesses told the EMSC. The quake is estimated to have had a magnitude of 4.4. 

A strong quake shook Crete last month, killing one person and causing serious damage to buildings.

A Greek seismologist said that Tuesday's quake came from a different fault. 

This is a developing story.