British holidaymakers staying on Crete have been told not to panic after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the island on Wednesday morning.
Shortly after the quake hit, Greek authorities issued a tsunami warning for the area, and travellers in the country also received a text alert, which provided information and advice in the wake of the earthquake.
Greece’s Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said on X: “A magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred 48km SE of Kasos. Risk of a possible Tsunami in your area. Move away from the coast immediately. Follow the instructions of Local Authorities.”
The Greek National Tourism Organisation told Travel Gossip the purpose of the message was to make holidaymakers aware, not to cause panic.
The UK Foreign Office hasn’t updated its travel advice for either Crete or Greece. As no further advice has been issued, the situation is thought to have returned to normal on the island.
A screengrab from Google Maps shows where the earthquake hit on Wednesday morning
The earthquake was also felt on Rhodes and Kos as well as the smaller Greek islands of Kasos and Karpathos, with tremors reportedly felt in Egypt.
According to the Athens Geodynamic Institute, the earthquake hit near Crete’s east coast in the Mediterranean Sea and had a depth of 35km. There were no reports of injuries.
Crete is one of Europe’s most seismically active zones, with a string of damaging earthquakes hitting the area in 2021.
