Powerful earthquake strikes off Greece
October 26, 2018
A powerful earthquake struck in the Ionian Sea off western Greece early on Friday, causing minor damage but no casualties were reported.
Greece's Geodynamic Institute said the quake's magnitude was 6.4, and struck underwater 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of the popular holiday island Zakynthos, which experienced a series of strong aftershocks.
Three people from Zakynthos were taken to hospital, two of them with minor injuries, a spokesman for Greece's civil protection agency told news agency Reuters.
The power cut and slight damage to the port of Zakynthos would not affect port operations, officials said.
"We are not facing any particular problems," Zakynthos Mayor Pavlos Kolokotsas told Greek state broadcaster ERT. "Calm is
being restored."
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Schools closed
Local news websites reported that a 15th-century monastery had been damaged, with one, Zante News Time, displaying images of masonry that had fallen from a building facade and items dislodged from shelves in shops.
Schools were to be closed Friday to allow engineers to assess the buildings for damage.
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The tremor was felt in Athens, the Greek capital, and as far away as Albania, Italy, Libya and Malta.
The Ionian Sea is a highly earthquake-prone region as it lies on a deep rift where the European and African continental plates meet.
law/rt (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)