A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit Crete this morning

There was an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 Crete this morning, with an urgent request for local residents to move away from the coast to higher ground soon after. The earthquake struck 37 miles northeast of Sitia at about 1:25 a.m., according to European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The tsunami warning was soon lifted and no damage was reported from the earthquake.

Local residents of Sitia the quake is said to have been felt as a light jolt lasting “five to ten seconds” with the worst of the jolt being felt by telephone systems in Crete. They were quickly overwhelmed by demand, despite no reports of injuries or deaths, unlike Earthquake on September 27, 2021 when the dome of a church under renovation in the city of Arkalakhori collapsed, killing one person.

The area is known for small aftershocks throughout the region, and the last recorded earthquake near Crete was recorded on July 20 of this year as a 4.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the sea near the island. Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens. But due to the higher magnitude this morning and its location off the coast of Crete, emergency services did not risk a tsunami threat.

the professor Dynamic tectonic applied geology and disaster management Efthymios Lekkas was quick to allay the concerns of local residents when he was interviewed by the local Skai TV station. People in the south-east Aegean Sea You can be sure that these types of earthquakes are not usually dangerous because they “don’t have a significant after-seismic sequence,” he explained to the audience.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 80 km (49.71 miles) and was reportedly felt as far north as Africa. Crete is in a seismically active zone, and residents usually expect minor tremors, although this morning’s quake was the region’s strongest in 2022.