Powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Mediterranean: Holiday islands of Rhodes and Crete rattled with quake also felt in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon
- Earthquake struck in the sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, town in Rhodes
- The earthquake’s tremors were felt in Cyprus, Crete and Turkey today
A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the southeastern Greek island of Rhodes today, with the tremors felt as far away as Egypt and Lebanon.
The earthquake, with a depth of 16 miles, struck in the Aegean Sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, a town in Rhodes at 2.37pm local time (12.37GMT).
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake was also felt in the nearby Turkish provinces of Mugla, Izmir and Antalya as well as Crete and Cyprus. It was also felt as far away as the Egyptian capital of Cairo and in Lebanon.
The earthquake, with a depth of 16 miles, struck in the Aegean Sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, a town in Rhodes at 2.37pm local time (12.37GMT)
A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the southeastern Greek island of Rhodes today, with the tremors felt as far away as Cyprus and Crete. Pictured: File photo of Rhodes
Turkey’s AFAD emergency management agency saying it had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4.
It is common for different seismological institutes to record variations in magnitude in the initial hours and days after a quake.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Turkey either, although the earthquake caused panic in Mugla province, HaberTurk television said, with residents rushing out of buildings.
The undersea quake had an epicenter nearly 250 miles southeast of Athens and 36 miles southeast of Lindos, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.
Greece and Turkey lie in a highly seismically active region. and experience hundreds of earthquakes each year. The vast majority cause no injuries or damage.