ATHENS: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of over 6.0 struck central Greece on Wednesday and was felt as far away as the capitals of neighboring Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.
The quake sent people rushing out of homes and office buildings into the streets in the town of Larissa. It’s epicenter was 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) west-northwest of the town and it struck just after 12:15 p.m. (1015 GMT), according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, which put the preliminary magnitude at 6.2.
The United States Geological Survey and the Global Seismic Monitor Geofon put the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 6.3 while the seismological institute of the Aritotle University of Thessaloniki put the magnitude at 6.0.
It is common for magnitudes to vary between seismological institutes in the early hours after an earthquake.
Numerous aftershocks rattled the area, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9.
Greece lies in a highly seismically active region. The vast majority of earthquakes cause no damage or injuries.
Last October, an earthquake that struck the eastern Greek Aegean island of Samos and the nearby Turkish coast killed two people on Samos and at least 75 people in Turkey.