Strong earthquake hits southern Greece

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2008

ATHENS (AFP) — An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted Greeks in the southern Peloponnese region from their beds Sunday but experts warned it could have spelt disaster if it had not been so deep.

The powerful quake was felt throughout the country and even as far away as Rome, but there were no reports of casualties or major damage.

"We were very lucky... Greece escaped the worst because it was a medium depth earthquake," said Georges Stavrakakis, director of the geodynamics institute of the Athens observatory.

Observatory spokesman Yannis Drakatos had said earlier: "The tremor occurred at a depth of more than 70 kilometres (45 miles) and that is why there have been no casualties."

The geodynamics institute said the epicentre of...