A powerful 6.8-magnitude undersea earthquake struck early Friday off the Ionian Sea island of Zante, causing structural damage but no injuries, officials said.

"We have no reports of injuries, or of someone being trapped under rubble... We advise people to remain calm," Zante mayor Pavlos Kolokotsas told Real FM radio.

"Zakynthos has anti-seismic protection... There were only cracks inside homes and minor rockslides," said Kolokotsas, using the island's Greek name.

Electricity in the main town, also called Zante, was temporarily knocked out while officials reported damage to the road network caused by landslides.

The island dock was also damaged, but marine access to the island has not been interrupted.

Many residents spent the early morning outside their homes as a precaution. Island schools would remain shut on Friday.

"We ran out of the house... The whole village was out on the square," said Angelike Glava, an elderly local.

The earthquake hit off the southern part of the island, in the Ionian Sea at 1.50 am (2250 GMT Thursday), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The Greek national observatory in Athens said the earthquake had a depth of just 10 kilometres.

"There has been no damage to houses, according to the first reports," a spokesperson for the fire service told AFP.

A 12th-century Byzantine monument on a small island near Zante has been severely damaged, local media reported.

The tremor was followed by over a dozen aftershocks, the national observatory in Athens said.

The earthquake was also felt on mainland Greece, southern Italy and Malta.

USGS said the quake, which struck at a depth of 16.6 kilometres (10 miles), was preceded by a shake of 5.0 and followed by a series of smaller aftershocks.

Zante is a popular holiday destination with its own international airport.

Greece lies on major fault lines and is regularly hit by earthquakes, but they rarely cause casualties.

However, in July 2017 a magnitude 6.7 earthquake killed two people on the island of Kos in the Aegean sea, causing significant damage.

Zante island experienced a major earthquake in 1953 of 6.4, killing hundreds of victims and injuring thousands, leaving the island in ruins.

burs-hec/jph/nla

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Another Japan firm admits falsifying data for quake shock absorbers
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 23, 2018
A Japanese company supplying equipment to protect buildings from earthquakes has admitted falsifying data, authorities said Tuesday, a week after a Tokyo-based firm revealed a similar fraud. Kawakin Holdings' oil damper unit altered data for products installed at 93 education facilities, government buildings and offices, the land ministry said. "I deeply apologise for causing great concerns and trouble," Kawakin president Shinkichi Suzuki told reporters. The ministry has instructed the comp ... read more