Athens: A strong earthquake has jolted the Greek island of Crete, three weeks after another temblor killed a man on the island and damaged hundreds of buildings.
The Geodynamic Institute in Athens said the earthquake that struck Tuesday morning had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 and occurred undersea off the eastern coast of the island.
There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury. Authorities said police and fire crews were checking buildings in eastern Crete for damage.
The quake was felt on Greek islands to the east of Crete, including Karpathos, Kassos, and Rhodes.
“The quake was felt all over the island, and it did cause concern because we are still feeling the aftershocks from the previous quake,” Crete’s deputy regional governor, Yiannis Leondarakis, told Greece’s state-run radio.
Hundreds of people from villages south of the island’s largest city, Heraklion, remain homeless following a 5.8-magnitude quake that struck on Sept. 27.
Leondarakis said of Tuesday’s earthquake: “Fortunately, there does not appear to be any serious damage despite the fact that it was a strong event and occurred at a shallow depth.”
