Strong earthquake damages dozens of buildings in Greece

DAMASI, Greece (AFP) — A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit central Greece on Wednesday, damaging dozens of buildings, prompting narrow escapes and causing crowds to rush into the streets, though officials said no injuries or deaths were reported.

"The first estimate is 100 damaged buildings. We have no reports on injuries," Costas Agorastos, regional governor for the broader Thessaly region, told AFP in the village of Damasi, near the epicenter of the quake.

There were several tales of narrow escapes in the area – including an elderly disabled man who was rescued from his collapsed house in the nearby village of Mesochori, and children in Damasi who hid beneath their desks as their school shook, then walked out.

"Fortunately, the teachers managed to get the children out very quickly and there were no victims," the mayor of the nearby city of Tyrnavos Yiannis Kokkouras told Skai TV.

Across the street from the school, the roof was most of what remained from a stone house whose front walls spilled onto the street. A chandelier was left hanging from the wood rafters.

Several aftershocks were reported after the main quake hit midday near the central city of Larissa, sparking panic in the area rarely hit by serious earthquakes.

Agorastos said tents would be set up at the Damasi sports stadium for people whose homes were damaged.

The civil protection authority also reported landslides in the region, and authorities were assessing further damage, while a helicopter was overflying the area in search of people in need.

The clock tower of a church in Damasi caved in, and police sealed off a bridge leading to the village that was cracked by the quake, local media reported.

The US Geological Survey said the 12:16 pm (1016 GMT) earthquake, which was felt across mainland Greece, was magnitude 6.3.