14.05.2025 16:41
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Greece's holiday regions has caused concern among tourists in the area. The earthquake affected Crete and Rhodes. Authorities issued a warning to stay away from coastal areas due to the risk of a tsunami. The tremor, with its epicenter on Kasos Island, was even felt in Israel. The Greek Emergency Communication Service issued a rare tsunami warning.
The strong earthquake that occurred in popular holiday regions of Greece has caused concern among tourists in the area. The tremor, measuring 6.3 in magnitude, affected Crete and Rhodes, while authorities issued warnings for people to move away from coastal areas due to the risk of a tsunami.
According to the Athens Geodynamic Institute, the earthquake occurred at night while most people were asleep and was recorded at a depth of 62.5 kilometers. The epicenter of the tremor was the small island of Kasos and it was felt as far away as Israel.
Around 04:00 on Wednesday morning, a second tremor measuring 3.4 occurred around Kasos and Karpathos. Following the third earthquake, the Greek Emergency Communication Service issued a rare tsunami warning.
Emergency messages regarding the "possible tsunami risk" were sent to people in Rhodes, Karpathos, and Kasos, urging them to stay away from coastal areas.
British tourist Nigel Cummings, who was in the area, said, "It wasn't just shaking; the whole ground was shaking like jelly. The tsunami warning message really scared people."
Anastasia, who works at a beach hotel in Rhodes, stated, "People were very shaken, most couldn't sleep. The earthquake was very strong, it was so strong that they even underestimated its intensity."
So far, there have been no reports of casualties or property damage. Efthymios Lekkas, the head of the Greek Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, noted that the earthquake's depth of 60 kilometers reduced the intensity of the tremor that reached the surface.
Lekkas said, "The earthquake was strongly felt in Crete, Rhodes, Kos, and throughout the southeastern Aegean, but we do not yet know the full extent of the damage."
More than 624,000 people live in Crete, with about one-third of the island's population located in the capital, Heraklion. The region is situated in one of the most active earthquake zones in Europe, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates converge.
This latest earthquake follows the 7,700 tremors that occurred on the island of Santorini within two weeks in February. At that time, the island had declared a state of emergency.