Powerful quake off Greek islands felt in Cyprus

A powerful earthquake off the Greek island of Karpathos on Tuesday was felt in Cyprus, some 350km away, according to the Geological Survey Department.

The tremor was felt on the Greek islands of Karpathos, Crete, Santorini and Rhodes, the southern Antalya region in Turkey and cities in Egypt.

The Cyprus Geological Survey Department said that the quake was felt across the island, especially by people high up in tall buildings.

It said the tremor lasted a good 40 seconds and measured at 6.1 on the Richter scale with a depth of 33.96 km.

The Geological Survey Department noted the epicentre of the quake at 08.32 was 343 km off the Paphos coast and 150 km from Karpathos.

The Turkish disaster control authority reported the epicentre at some 155km from the coast of Turkey.

The quake confirmed the current increased seismic activity in this region.

According to specialists in Greece, despite its proximity to Crete, Tuesday’s earthquake is not connected with the two powerful quakes that rattled the island in recent weeks, killing one person and damaging buildings.

The last one, 6.3 on the Richter scale, took place just a week ago, damaging buildings. It was felt as far away as Athens, some 400km away.

Three weeks ago, a similarly strong quake on Crete killed one person.

A Greek seismologist said Tuesday’s quake came from a different African fault, and no aftershocks were expected.

Turkey, meanwhile, sits on top of major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

At least 17,000 people died in a powerful earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.