Strong earthquake jolts Greece's largest island of Crete, kills one

Image credit: Reuters

Athens: A strong earthquake measuring 5.8 shook Greece`s largest island, Crete, on Monday (September 27) and one person was killed when a church dome collapsed, authorities said.

The quake, which sent people out of their homes and public buildings and caused considerable damage, was described by a Greek seismologist, Efthymios Lekkas, as a "thunderbolt" with strong aftershocks.

A man died when the dome of a church in the town of Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, a police official said. Civil protection authorities said nine people were injured in the quake, which damaged many buildings.

The tremor prompted many people in Crete`s main city Heraklion to rush outdoors. Schoolchildren were told to leave their classrooms, gathering in schoolyards and town squares. "It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds," a local mayor told Skai television.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake`s magnitude reached 5.8 and its epicentre was 23 kilometres (14 miles) northwest of Arvi in southeastern Crete, at a depth of 10 km.

Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake measured 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0.