Greece issues tsunami warning after strong earthquake

Greece‘s emergency services have warned people to move away from the coast after an offshore earthquake struck near the island of Kasos.

“A magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred 48km [south-east] of Kasos. Risk of possible Tsunami in your area,” the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection posted on the 112 Greece account. “Move away from the coast immediately.”

The tiny island of Kasos, which has a population of around 1,000, lies in the Aegean Sea between Crete and Rhodes.

Tremor also felt in Egypt

The quake was at a depth of 83 kilometers (52 miles), the German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) said.

GFZ recorded the earthquake as being magnitude 6.3, according to AFP news agency, higher than that reported by the Greek authorities.

Tremors from the quake were felt as far away as Israel and southwestern Turkey.

People in Egypt also felt the quake with the country’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics reporting a magnitude of 6.4 but no casualties or property damage.

Greece is located on a number of fault lines and is sporadically hit by earthquakes. 

Between January 26 and February 13, more than 18,400 quakes, mainly of a low magnitude, were recorded off islands in the Cyclades archipelago, including the popular tourist island of Santorini, according to the University of Athens seismology laboratory.

--Agencies