A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the largest Greek island of Crete on Monday (27) and at least one person died when the dome of a church under renovation collapsed.
The earthquake also injured at least nine people and caused extensive damage to buildings. The death was recorded in the town of Arkalochori.
Many people poured into the streets in Heraklion, the main city on Crete, and students were directed to leave classrooms and gather in schoolyards and squares.
“It was very strong and lasted several seconds,” a local mayor told Sky TV.
Students and teachers gather in a square in Heraklion, on the Greek island of Crete, after an earthquake on September 27, 2021 – Photo: Stefanos Rabanis/Reuters
The Geodynamic Institute in Athens stated that the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 10 km, 346 km south of the capital, Athens, and 23 km northwest of Arvi, in the southeast of Crete.
The quake struck at 9:17 a.m. (local time, 3:17 a.m. EDT), and at least nine aftershocks added to the damage to villages near the epicenter.
Local media reported the collapse of the walls of old stone buildings in villages near the epicenter in the eastern part of the island.
Flights at Heraklion airport were not affected, and the Hoteliers Association said there was no major damage to any development in the area, which includes many resorts.
A man walks past a destroyed Greek Orthodox church in the village of Arkalukouri, Crete, after a massive earthquake in southern Greece on September 27, 2021 – Photo: Harry Nikos/Associated Press
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