Strong earthquake shakes central Greece, felt in Balkans

ATHENS: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of up to 6.3 struck central Greece on Wednesday and was felt as far away as the capitals of neighbouring Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

There were no immediate reports of injuries. Local officials reported some structural damage, mainly to old houses and buildings that saw walls collapse or crack.

The quake sent people rushing out of homes and office buildings into the streets in Larissa and Tyrnavos, the closest towns to the epicenter, which was 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) west-northwest of Larissa.

Numerous aftershocks hit the area, with the most powerful having a preliminary magnitude of over 5.0.

The quake struck just after 12:15 p.m. (1015 GMT), according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, which put the preliminary magnitude at 6.2.

The United States Geological Survey and the Global Seismic Monitor Geofon put the quake's preliminary magnitude at 6.3 while the seismological institute of the Aritotle University of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, put the magnitude at 6.0.

It is common for magnitude estimates to vary soon after a quake.

Athens Geodynamic Institute seismologist Vassilis Karastathis told reporters that the quake originated in a fault line in the area that has historically not produced quakes of much larger magnitude than Wednesday's.

He said the post-quake activity appeared normal so far but experts were monitoring the situation.