A MONSTER 6.5 earthquake has rocked the Greek island of Crete sparking a tsunami warning.
A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 shook the island of Crete in southern Greece on Monday, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said, sending people out of their homes and buildings.
According to local media, the shaker has sparked panic in the island’s capital Heraklion with residents fleeing “shaking” buildings.
There were no reports of any injuries though two people were trapped in damaged buildings, the authorities said.
Earlier the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0.
The epicenter of the quake was 23 kilometers (14 miles) northwest of Arvi at a depth of 10 kilometers, the institute in Athens said.
The mayor of Arkalohori 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.
The quake had a depth of 2 km (1.24 miles), EMSC said.
Further minor quakes continued to strike the island afterward. This includes one magnitude 3.7 quake and another magnitude 4.8, according to the EMSC.
Later, a fourth quake with a magnitude of 3.0 was felt in Crete, followed by another.
At the time of writing, five quakes have been felt in Crete within the last hour, the EMSC tweeted.
The quakes were reportedly even felt in Athens and in Izmir, Turkey, according to the EMSC.
Pictures posted online show rocks strewn across roads due to the damage caused to properties.
One local tweeted: “Okay, that was interesting – just as we were finishing breakfast it sounded like a lorry was going to come through the wall and everything shook.
“Online reports show it as a 5.6 to 6.3 magnitude #earthquake epicentred a few kilometres away. #Crete.”
Another resident wrote: “I’m shaking so bad this was the biggest and scariest earthquake I’ve ever experienced.”
