Strong quake strikes central Greece; felt in wider region

A strong 6.0-magnitude tremor hit a region northwest of the city of Larissa in central Greece on Wednesday morning, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said in its final reading, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

An initial report by the institute measured the tremor at 5.9 on the Richter scale.

It hit a region 24 kilometres northwest of the city of Larissa, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

The quake struck 16 minutes after noon, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the institute said. It was followed by three aftershocks measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale (12.19 p.n.), 4.2 (12.26 p.m.) and 4.9 (12.34 p.m.).

Television footage from Larissa showed people gathering onto the main square for protection against possible falling debris.

The regional governor of Thessaly, Costas Agorastos, told state-run broadcaster ERT that so far there were no reports of damages.

The quake was felt in several parts of western Greece and even Athens.