Strong earthquake strikes off Crete, no casualties

A 6.0 magnitude quake struck off the Greek island of Crete on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the epicentre was about 55 kilometres south of the city of Ierapetra. It hit at 1251 GMT (15:51 pm). “No victims or serious damage has been reported so far,” a local police officer told AFP by telephone. Greece is prone to earthquakes, with many occurring offshore.

The last deadly quake occurred in the island of Kos in the Aegean Sea in July 2017. The 6.7-magnitude quake killed two people. The deadliest temblor in recent years struck the Athens region in 1999, killing 143 people.