According to European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale, with a focal depth of 10 km, hit at 20.00 p.m. in the island of Euboea. The earthquake occurred in the area Taxiarches, between Istiaia and Edipsos.
The earthquake shook Athens and Lamia. Specifically, the epicenter was 6 km south of Oraioi in Euboea , 57 km away from Lamia, and 116 km from Athens. Several aftershocks followed.
Efthimios Lekkas, Professor of Geology at the University of Athens reported to the newspaper Proto Thema: “It is a place with high seismicity. It wasn’t a surprise. It is a sensitive area. We will know if that was the main earthquake after the first 48 hours.”
The town councilor of Istiaia said that there weren’t any damages or injuries and that the residents remained calm despite momentary panic. He added that last week in the same area, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale had occurred.
Greece lies in one of the world’s most earthquake-prone zones. Most of the earthquakes cause little damage. However in 1999, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 killed 143 people in Athens, caused 110 buildings to collapse, and severely damaging about 5,000 more.
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