Greek island of Crete hit by 6.3 magnitude earthquake

by Lexi Lonas - 10/12/21 7:01 PM ET

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images
This picture shows a view of the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti) with a Greek flag, in the Dodecanese, the furthest south eastern Greek Island, two kilometers from the Turkish mainland, on August 28, 2020.

The Greek island of Crete was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.

The undersea earthquake occurred around midday on the island and was followed by aftershock earthquakes of 4.1 magnitude and 4.6 magnitude, according to the Geodynamic Institute in Athens, The Associated Press reported.

Sea levels did rise from the quake, with authorities telling residents to stay away from the coast.

The earthquake was felt on the coast of Turkey and on Cyprus as well.

“The quake was felt all over the island, and it did cause concern because we are still feeling the aftershocks from the previous quake,” Crete’s deputy regional governor, Yiannis Leondarakis, said, according to the AP.

“Fortunately, there does not appear to be any serious damage despite the fact that it was a strong event and occurred at a shallow depth,” Leondarakis added.

The island had a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit at the end of September that left hundreds of people homeless.

The earthquake also follows a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that happened in Tokyo last week, with dozens of people injured.

Tags Earthquake Greece