Earthquake in Crete – Tsunami Warning after 6.3 Richter

Seismologists talk about a different seismic center from that of Arkalochori regarding the 6.3 Richter quake that shook Crete, at noon on Tuesday, and left behind small material damages.

Speaking to in.gr, Gerasimos Papadopoulos pointed out that the seismic vibration was centered in the sea area south of Ierapetra and that it is not related to the fault that exists in Arkalochori, which also gave strong earthquakes.

According to Mr. Papadopoulos, the earthquake was superficial and is being investigated if it has had an impact on land.

The president of OASP, Efthymis Lekkas, is on the same wavelength. The seismologist underlined that this is a different seismic center compared to Arkalochori, with different behavior, while he expressed the assessment that the two earthquakes should not be connected.

Small tsunami

As he told in.gr, a small tsunami was created by the earthquake, however he appeared completely reassuring with the situation not inspiring concern.

“We have issued a tsunami alert but nothing alarming. We are talking about 10 kilometers southeast of Zakros. The phenomenon has arrived and may not be visible in some areas. The earthquake was too small to create a big tsunami,” he clarified.

Asked if this is the main earthquake, Mr. Lekkas said that it is too early to make such a finding, however “the data so far show that we are heading there.”

There is no major material damage

So far, no significant material damage has been reported from the center of the Fire Department. This was confirmed to in.gr by the deputy regional head of the Regional Unit of Heraklion, Nikolaos Nikolaos, while there are no reports of injuries or trapped people.

The only damages are located in Xirokampos, Sitia, where a small church collapsed, while a small landslide occurred. There are also reports of damage in the wider area of ​​the municipality of Sitia.

In any case, by order of Lieutenant General Stefanos Kolokouris, all forces in Crete are ready to intervene if and where needed.

In Heraklion, school principals asked students to leave the classrooms. All competent services are on alert to identify possible problems or disasters.

Apart from Crete, the earthquake was particularly felt in all the islands of the Dodecanese and mainly in Kasos, Karpathos, and Rhodes. After the strong vibration of 6.3 Richter, followed by vibrations of 4.5 Richter in Karpathos and 4 Richter off Zakros.

Residents are fearful

According to local media, people in Heraklion and other areas of Crete took to the streets in fear.

It is noted that a few days ago the island had received a smaller blow from an earthquake that caused great damage to villages, mainly in Arkalochori.