Powerful 5.9 magnitude quake hits Mediterranean: Holiday islands of Rhodes and Crete rocked by quake also felt in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon
- An earthquake hit the sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, Rhodes town
- The tremors of the earthquake were felt today in Cyprus, Crete and Turkey
A powerful 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Rhodes in southeastern Greece today, with tremors felt as far away as Egypt and Lebanon.
The earthquake, 16 miles deep, struck the Aegean Sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, a town in Rhodes at 2:37 p.m. local time (12:37 GMT).
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The earthquake was also felt in the neighboring Turkish provinces of Mugla, Izmir and Antalya as well as in Crete and Cyprus. It was also felt as far away as the Egyptian capital of Cairo and in Lebanon.
The earthquake, 16 miles deep, struck the Aegean Sea about 36 miles southeast of Lindos, a town in Rhodes at 2:37 p.m. local time (12:37 GMT).
A powerful 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Greek island of Rhodes in the south-east of the country today, with tremors felt as far away as Cyprus and Crete. Pictured: Rhodes archive photo
Turkey’s emergency management agency AFAD said it had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4.
It is common for different seismological institutes to record variations in magnitude in the first hours and days after an earthquake.
There were also no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Turkey, although the earthquake caused panic in Mugla province, HaberTurk TV 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 are in a very seismically active region. and experience hundreds of earthquakes every year. The vast majority do not cause injury or damage.
