Strong earthquake strikes Greece

Tremors felt in Athens as quake rattles second-largest Greek island

The aftermath of an earthquake which killed one on the Greek island of Crete in September 2021. Reuters

An earthquake struck eastern Greece on Wednesday afternoon, with tremors felt in the capital.

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit northeast of Chalkida on Evia, Greece's second-largest island, according to an initial report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The Athens Geodynamic Institute reported a 4.9-magnitude earthquake at a depth of around 10 kilometres.

Residents in Athens reported rattling windows and strong, intense tremors.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Greece lies in a highly seismically active region.

A strong earthquake rattled the island of Crete last month and was felt as far away as Cairo.

Last autumn, two earthquakes struck the island in as many weeks.

The first, on September 27, was the largest to hit the island in more than 60 years and left more than 2,000 people homeless.

In October 2020, an earthquake struck the Aegean island of Samos and the nearby Turkish coast killed two people on Samos and at least 75 people in Turkey.

The quake triggered a small tsunami that hit Samos and the Seferihisar district of Izmir, drowning one elderly woman, and was felt as far as Istanbul.