Greek authorities have reported a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that struck late Monday into Tuesday off the coast of Evia, with residents in the capital, Athens, feeling its impact strongly.
The Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens indicated that the earthquake occurred at 12:30 AM local time (21:30 UTC), with its epicenter located 45 kilometers northeast of Athens and just four kilometers off the coast of the coastal resort of Nea Stira, situated on the southwestern part of Evia, Greece’s second-largest island.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or damage, according to local media. Athens and its surrounding areas have an approximate population of 3 million residents.
Stirgios Tsirkas, the mayor of Marathon, a town near the earthquake’s epicenter, told public television channel “ERT” that “the earthquake was quite intense,” adding that “there have been no reports of any damage at this time.”
In May, a powerful quake measuring 6.1 struck off the coast of Crete, which was felt in distant locations such as Athens and Egypt.