Greece: One dead after earthquake hits island of Crete

A strong earthquake rattled the Greek island of Crete on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring nine others. 

The quake had an initial magnitude of 5.8, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

Two people were initially trapped in damaged buildings in the village of Arkalochori, according to officials.

What we know so far

Panicked residents came rushing out of their homes and buildings, as several structures were damaged by the earthquake, authorities said.

Two churches and other old stone buildings in Arkalochori had been damaged, the mayor of the farming town told Greek Skai TV.

A man died when the dome of a church in Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, the civil protection agency said.

The town was particularly badly hit, said Spiros Georgiou, spokesman for the civil protection agency.

Children evacuated

In the capital of Heraklion, children were evacuated from schools which were later inspected for structural damages.

The city's mayor, Vassilis Lambrinos, also told Skai that emergency services did not report any injuries or severe damage.

"It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds," Lambrinos said.

Initially, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said it was 6.0.

The EMSC added that it had a depth of 2 kilometers (1.24 miles).

The institute in Athens said the quake struck at about 9:17 am local time, with an epicenter 246 kilometers southeast of the Greek capital.

Several aftershocks also struck the area. The strongest one had an initial magnitude of 4.6, according to the EMSC.

jsi, adi/rs (AP, Reuters, dpa)