Earthquake of Magnitude 5.8 Jolts Greece’s Biggest Island of Crete, One Person Killed

The epicentre of the quake was 23 kilometres (14 miles) northwest of Arvi at a depth of 10 kilometres, the institute in Athens said.

Crete: A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale has struck Greek’s largest island of Crete and one person was killed when a church dome collapsed, said a Reuters report. The epicenter of the quake was 23 kilometres (14 miles) northwest of Arvi at a depth of 10 kilometres, said the Athens Geodynamic Institute. Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake measured 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0.

The quake, which sent people out of their homes and public buildings and caused considerable damage, was described by a Greek seismologist, Efthymios Lekkas, as a “thunderbolt” with strong aftershocks.

A man died when the dome of a church in the town of Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, a police official said. Civil protection authorities said nine people were injured in the quake, which damaged many buildings. The tremor prompted many people in Crete’s main city Heraklion to rush outdoors. Schoolchildren were told to leave their classrooms, gathering in schoolyards and town squares.

“It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds,” a local mayor told Skai television.

This is a developing story.