On Tuesday, a powerful earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete, two weeks, and one day after, another quake killed one person and destroyed hundreds of houses.
According to the Geodynamic Institute in Athens, the undersea earthquake, which struck at 12:24 p.m. local time (9:24 a.m. GMT) off the island's eastern coast, had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3.
Authorities reported it was felt as far as the Turkish coast and Cyprus, more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) to the east.
Minutes later, the institute in Athens reported quakes with magnitudes of 4.1 and 4.6, which were thought to be aftershocks. Authorities in the eastern Cretan port of Ierapetra said a rise in sea level and recommended locals to keep away from the coast.
There were no significant casualties or damage reported, although a small church near the epicenter partially collapsed since it was unoccupied at the time of the quake. Police and fire crews were examining distant settlements in eastern Crete, according to authorities.
"The quake was felt all over the island," Crete's deputy regional governor, Yiannis Leondarakis, told Greece's state-run radio. "It did cause concern because we are still feeling aftershocks from the previous quake."
Residents of the island's primary city, Heraklion, reportedly went outside when the earthquake struck, while kids at many of the island's schools reportedly gathered outside their classrooms.
Following a 5.8-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 27, hundreds of residents from villages south of Heraklion are still homeless. A man was slain while working on restoration work at a nearby church that had been damaged. Residents whose homes had been damaged were relocated to army-provided hotels and tents.
According to seismologists, the quakes last month and Tuesday occurred along different fault lines.
"Fortunately, there does not appear to be any serious damage despite the fact that it was a strong event and occurred at a shallow depth," Leondarakis said of Tuesday's earthquake.
Nearby Greek islands to the east of Crete, such as Karpathos and Kassos, were also shaken by the quake. Officials on Karpathos told The Associated Press that no severe damage had been reported.
