Earthquake shakes central Greece, felt in Balkans

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of up to 6.3 struck central Greece on Wednesday and was felt as far away as the capitals of neighboring Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

There were no immediate reports of injuries. Local officials reported some structural damage, mainly to old houses and buildings that saw walls collapse or crack.

The quake sent people rushing out of homes and office buildings into the streets in Larissa and Tyrnavos, the closest towns to the epicenter, which was 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) west-northwest of Larissa.

Numerous aftershocks hit the area, with the most powerful having a preliminary magnitude of over 5.0.

The quake struck just after 12:15 p.m. (1015 GMT), according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, which put the preliminary magnitude at 6.2.

The fire department said it had received reports of damage to one home and school, while the fire service and police were patrolling the area. All local fire departments were put on alert.

The head of the National Defense General Staff and other civil defense, fire department and political officials were heading to the area.

Greece lies in a highly seismically active region. The vast majority of earthquakes cause no damage or injuries.

Last October, an earthquake that struck the eastern Greek Aegean island of Samos and the nearby Turkish coast killed two high school students on Samos and at least 75 people in Turkey.