Powerful 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Crete, Felt in Egypt

An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude on the Richter scale shook down the near island of Crete, Greece on early Wednesday morning sending tremors to as far as in Egypt. According to the data from the Athens Geodynamic Institute a place at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles) in the Mediterranean Sea at Karpathos island was the place where a terrible earthquake occurred.

The Greek authorities promptly issued a temporary tsunami alert after the seismic event to be on the safe side. But the warning was however lifted after there was no abnormal sea activity around the coastlines.

Despite the magnitude of the tremor, which was quite substantial, preliminary assessments do not record any reports of severe occurrence of damage to property or casualty in the affected regions. The local emergency services were on the high alert in the hours after the earthquake, making comprehensive checks of the infrastructure and the buildings.

The part that surrounds Greece is the area which is popular because of the seismic activity, as the Mediterranean region is located at the junction of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Since Crete is the largest island in Greece and has many historical locations and tourist attractions, this island often has to suffer from various intensity earthquakes.

The residents of the area reported waking to the shaking in the early hours of the morning, taking to social media to share their ordeals. Tourism officials have made assurance to the visitors that no major attraction nor accommodation is closed down and all are safe to visit.

Greek seismologists keep on monitoring the situation for the possible aftershocks that always accompany earthquakes of such a magnitude.