A powerful offshore earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the Eastern Mediterranean in the early hours of Wednesday, 15 kilometres south of the Greek island of Kasos, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor, which hit at 1:51am local time (10:51pm GMT Tuesday), was recorded at a depth of approximately 78 kilometres beneath the seabed. The quake’s epicentre was located near Fry, the capital of Kasos, and roughly 112 kilometres from Ágios Nikólaos on the island of Crete.
Seismic shaking was felt across several parts of Greece, including the Dodecanese islands, Crete, and portions of the mainland. Reports of tremors also came in from more distant locations, such as Israel, Egypt, and southwestern Turkey.
Despite the earthquake’s strength, there were no immediate reports of injuries or significant structural damage. The USGS assessment suggests moderate shaking occurred on the islands of Kasos and Karpathos, with light tremors extending across the Aegean region.
Greece, situated at the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, is one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone nations. The country experiences frequent seismic activity, particularly along the Hellenic Arc — a major fault zone responsible for several historical and damaging quakes.
Earlier this year, between January 26 and February 13, over 18,000 low-magnitude quakes were recorded in the Cyclades archipelago, part of an ongoing seismic swarm monitored by the University of Athens’ seismology laboratory. While those events caused no harm, they have heightened public and scientific vigilance.
Authorities continue to monitor the region closely, but as of now, the earthquake has not triggered any tsunami alerts or emergency evacuations.
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