A magnitude 6.1 earthquake on the Richter scale rocked Greece at around 8:38 am today. The epicenter of the earthquake was reported to be latitude 38°North and Longitude 20.6° East, near the island of Kefalonia. Shocks were also felt in the capital Athens. The earthquake had a depth of 12 kilometers.
According to media reports, Kefalonia Mayor Alexandros Parisis told Greek radio that the port at the island's second largest town of Lixouri, the closest to the epicenter, had been damaged and that minor injuries had been reported. He did not immediately have any further details.
Last Monday on 27th of January, on the same island of Kefalonia, schools were closed and a state of emergency was declared after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 damaged homes and injured at least seven people.
Greece falls between two continental plutonic plates Euroasia and Africa, a highly active seismic zone and witnesses quakes frequently. Kefalonia and nearby Zakinthos and Ithaki were devastated by strong earthquakes in 1953 that leveled nearly all the buildings on the islands, killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands. Structures built since then have been designed to strict anti-seismic specifications.
