A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck the Peloponnese region of Greece today, leaving two people dead and more than 30 injured.
The quake was felt throughout the peninsula and as far away as Athens, causing panic in villages and towns in the west and the north of the Peloponnese, when it struck at around 3.25pm Greek time.
The National Observatory of Athens located the quake 205kms west of the capital near the town of Andravida. The observatory reported the epicentre was about 10kms underground.
A man in his 60s was killed in the village of Kato Achaia when the roof of his house collapsed, firefighters said.
An 80-year-old woman died of a heart attack in the same village.
37 people were injured, including some who jumped out of windows and suffered from fractures.
Dozens of houses were damaged, and 50 collapsed near the epicentre.
The National Observatory expects today’s quake to be followed by a series of strong aftershocks in the next few days.
Greece experiences more seismic activity than any other country in Europe, accounting for half of the continent's recorded quakes.
The US Geological Survey measured today’s earthquake at a magnitude of 6.1, placing its epicentre 33kms southwest of Patras.
