An earthquake shook central Greece early on Tuesday and was felt as far away as Athens, but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries, Greek police and fire brigade officials said.
The quake of 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred at 1:05 local time (23:05 GMT). Residents of Chalkida and nearby Malesina ran out of their homes in fear. Many stayed out of their homes for hours before they returned. The tremors were felt in the areas of Evia, Thessaly, Fthiotida, Viotia, Attica and Peloponnese.
The center of the earthquake was southwest of the town of Prokopion in the Evian gulf on the island of Evia, about 80 kilometres northwest of Athens. Seismologists say the center was twenty kilometers deep. It was followed a few minutes later by a smaller quake whose magnitude has been estimated at 5.1 Richter.
Seismologists cannot determine if other earthquakes will follow, but they sounded reassuring, saying that most likely they will not be repeated since they were caused by an underwater rift.
Earthquakes have historically caused widespread damage across central and southern Greece, Cyprus, Sicily and other neighboring regions. In January, a series of strong earthquakes on the island of Kefalonia damaged hundreds of homes and injured more than a dozen people.
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