ATHENS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale shook Greece's Crete island on Tuesday, according to the Geodynamics Institute of the National Observatory of Athens.
The tremor's epicenter was located in the sea area off the southeastern coast of the island at about 23 km depth, according to the Greek scientists.
No injuries or significant damages have been reported so far by local authorities as aftershocks continued in the wider region.
A tremor of 4.5 on the Richter scale was recorded a few minutes later off the island of Karpathos in the southeastern Aegean Sea at some 12 km depth, according to the seismologists.
The quake and aftershocks were felt in nearby islands as well and many residents went out on the streets alarmed, in particular on Crete island, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
On Sept. 28, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake with epicenter in land area on Crete island caused one casualty, 12 injuries and significant damages. More than 3,500 residencies, businesses and buildings suffered damages, according to the latest data provided by authorities.
According to preliminary analysis, Tuesday's earthquake and the recent destructive one were not linked, Efthymios Lekkas, professor of dynamic tectonic applied geology and disaster management at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and president of Greece's Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (EPPO), told Greek national broadcaster ERT. Enditem