A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck off the Greek island of Evia early Tuesday, shaking parts of the capital Athens but causing no reported casualties or damage, according to authorities.
The National Observatory of Athens said the tremor occurred around 12:30 a.m. local time (2130 GMT), with its epicentre located about four kilometres off the coastal resort of Nea Styra, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) northeast of Athens. The observatory initially estimated the magnitude at 5.3 before revising it to 5.4.
Mayor of Marathon, Stergios Tsirkas, told public broadcaster ERT that the quake felt “very intense” in the nearby city.
The seismic event comes just months after a stronger 6.1 magnitude quake hit off the island of Crete in May, which was felt as far away as Egypt and the Greek capital. Earlier this year, the island of Santorini also experienced exceptional seismic activity, with thousands of tremors forcing residents to temporarily flee their homes before eventually returning.
Greece, situated along multiple fault lines in the southeastern Mediterranean, experiences frequent earthquakes. The last deadly one occurred in October 2020 on the island of Samos, when a magnitude 7 quake killed two people locally and more than 100 in the Turkish port city of Izmir.
Authorities continue to monitor seismic activity in the region but have reassured residents that Tuesday’s tremor posed no immediate threat.
