A strong earthquake shook most of Greece this morning and was felt as far away as Egypt and Italy, witnesses said, but there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported a quake of magnitude 6.4. The epicentre was located about 120 miles (195 km) south of Athens.
The earthquake lasted for about seven seconds and Greek television said it was felt as far as 300 km north of the capital and as south as the island of Crete.
A police offical told Reuters there were no reports yet of any major damage to buildings or casualties in central and southern Greece.
The Athens Geodynamic Institute could not be immediately reached for a comment.
Italian media reported that the earthquake was felt across much of southern Italy, from the Adriatic port city of Bari to the Mediterranean port city of Naples. There were no immediate reports of damage.
In September 1999, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Athens, killing at least 143 people and leaving 60,000 people homeless.