Tsunami warning issued after holiday hotspot rocked by 6.1 magnitude earthquake
A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the southern Greek islands early on Thursday.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake's epicentre was located in the sea, 58 kilometres north-northeast of Elounda on the northern coast of Crete, at a depth of 69 kilometres.
The tremor was widely felt across the Aegean Sea and as far afield as Egypt, Israel and Turkey.
Regional government official Giorgos Tsapakos told state-run television that "there are no reports of injuries or any serious damage" following initial assessments of the affected areas.
Earthquake and Planning Protection Organisation head Efthymios Lekkas explained that the depth of the quake likely reduced its impact on the surface.
However, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) has issued tsunami alerts as a precaution. They said: "Depending on the distance of the earthquake from the coastline, the tsunami could be local (<100 km), regional (<1,000 km) or distant (>1,000 km)."
Istanbul University geophysics professor Okan Tuysuz noted that while aftershocks of up to magnitude 5 are possible in the coming days, the risk of a tsunami remains low. He told Turkish media: "Tsunamis develop more in earthquakes that are especially close to the surface. It is possible for this earthquake to cause a tsunami, but the probability is low."
Authorities have activated tsunami evaluation procedures for coastal areas, particularly holiday hotspots in southern Crete. Emergency response protocols have also been initiated in anticipation of any further seismic activity.
In the aftermath of the quake, a number of smaller roads have been closed due to landslips, including the route between Myrtos and Tertsa in Crete, causing major traffic disruption, firefighters have said.
The popular Imbros Gorge in Sfakia, an 11km canyon that attracts many visitors in the summer, has also been closed for the day as a precaution.
This latest quake follows another strong tremor just last week, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the island of Kasos off southern Crete. That quake was also felt across the Aegean and as far as Israel and Egypt, but caused no significant damage.
Greece and the Aegean islands are in one of the most seismically areas in all of Europe - making it more likely to experience earthquakes. This is because the country lies at the boundary of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.
It's also affected by the smaller Anatolian Plate, creating complex fault systems and frequent earthquakes. Mountainous terrain on Greece's islands also amplifies the impact of tectonic movements, making them more likely to be felt.
Historically, the region has experienced devastating quakes. One of the most destructive, the 7.2 magnitude Great Kefalonia Earthquake of 1953, killed an estimated 800 people and destroyed nearly 90% of buildings on the island. It also triggered tsunamis and powerful aftershocks across the Ionian Islands, which lead to major changes to Greece's building codes to improve earthquake resilience.
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