Magnitude 5.7 quake rocks SE Peloponnese sea region

A moderate earthquake took place in the sea region between the Peloponnese and the island of Milos, 120 km east of Laconia prefecture’s coasts and 146 km south of Athens

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake was noted at 6.45 a.m. Greek local time on Friday in the sea region in the southeast Peloponnese, 120 km east of Sparta. The quake lasted for around 15-20 seconds, and was felt in areas around Greece, including Athens. (First estimations showed a magnitude 5.8 earthquake) The earthquake had an estimated focal depth of 10 km.

seismos-xartis-pelopponisos

Three minutes later, more seismic activity rocked the same area with a 4.7 quake. At this moment no damage has been reported.

Seismologists warn the locals to expect aftershocks. These can be less violent but strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures in the first hours, days, weeks or even months after the quake. They warn people in the area to look for and extinguish small fires that are a common hazard after an earthquake and warn of care when driving as well as to anticipate traffic light outages.