Two quakes rattle Greek island, no major damage reported
Two earthquakes struck the Greek island of Evia several hours apart Tuesday, rattling residents and being strongly felt in Athens, but no injuries or major damage were reported.
The stronger of the two, at magnitude 5.0, occurred at 10:06 p.m. in southeastern Evia, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. It was preceded by a magnitude 4.8 quake at 6:32 a.m. that had roughly the same epicenter, some 58 kilometers (36 miles) northeast of the Greek capital.
Authorities ordered school closures in the south of the island following the morning earthquake, which according to the civil protection agency caused only minor damage to homes near the epicenter. Officials said schools would remain closed Wednesday, too.
Earthquakes are common in Greece and neighboring Turkey, but not off the eastern coast of Evia.
“We have no data on fault lines in that area,” Efthymios Lekkas, a professor of applied geology and disaster management at the University of Athens, told state-run ERT television.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Athens in 1999 killed 143 people. [AP]
