Strong quake rattles Crete

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 has struck the southern Greek island of Crete, rattling residents. 

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake struck at 9.17 a.m. local time (0617 GMT), with an epicenter 246 kilometers (153 miles) south southeast of the Greek capital, Athens.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the US Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, with an epicenter seven kilometers (4 miles) north of the village of Thrapsano. It is common for different seismological institutes to give varying magnitudes for an earthquake in the initial hours and days after an event.

The mayor of Arkalochori village told Skai TV two churches and other buildings at the village had been damaged and two people were trapped, one in a church when the dome collapsed during maintenance work, and another in a home.

[Combined reports]