BREAKING: Tsunami alert for thousands of holidaying Brits in Greece after earthquake
Thousands of holidaying Brits and even more Greek locals are being urged this afternoon to stay away from the beach in Crete as authorities issued a tsunami alert following an earthquake earlier this afternoon.
A strong earthquake has jolted the Greek island of Crete, three weeks after another quake killed a man on the island and damaged hundreds of buildings.
The Geodynamic Institute in Athens said the earthquake that struck on Tuesday had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 and happened at 12.24pm local time, undersea off the eastern coast.
It was felt as far as the coast of Turkey and on Cyprus, more than 310 miles to the east, authorities said.
Magnitude 4.1 and 4.6 quakes that are believed to be aftershocks took place minutes later, the institute said.
There were no reports of serious damage or injuries, but a small church near the epicentre that was empty at the time of the quake partially collapsed. 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 September 27.
Mr 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.”