A powerful earthquake was felt across a large part of Greece on Saturday afternoon. The Geodynamic Institute of the Athens Observatory estimated that the epicenter of the 6.3 Richter earthquake was about 63 kilometers west of Chania and at a depth of about 23 kilometers. The earthquake was felt across a large part of southern Greece in most of Peloponnesus and Attica.
There have been numerous reports of damages, including minor injuries. According to the Cretalive.gr news website, an elderly man panicked and lightly injured himself when he jumped off a first floor balcony. A couple old houses were severely damaged and fortunately they were vacant during the earthquake.
The Samaria canyon has been closed off until the path has been fully inspected. The earthquake caused a number of rockslides that have damaged the island’s network of highways. The fire brigade and municipal services are documenting damages.
The professor of Geology Efthimios Lekkas commented on SKAI that the earthquake is not associated with a recent earthquake near Ierapetra, while the head of the Geophysics and Seismology Lab at the Technical Institute of Crete Philippos Vallianatos noted that the sequence of aftershocks in the ensuing 48 hours will clarify whether it was the precursor or main earthquake.
