6.3-magnitude earthquake hits Greek island of Crete

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Greek island of Crete Tuesday, the Athens Observatory said, with initial media reports suggesting no one was hurt.

The quake struck at 0924 GMT with an epicentre in the sea 405 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of Athens and 24 kilometres from the village of Zakros, the Observatory said in a statement.

Local media said it was felt on Crete and on the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea.

“The epicentre is in the sea, far from inhabited places,” Greek seismologist Gerassimos Papadopoulos told Skai radio.

It comes two weeks after a strong 5.8-magnitude quake killed one person, injured 10 and damaged buildings on Crete.

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