Crete earthquake LIVE: Aftershocks ongoing after 6.1 mag quake and tsunami alert

Aftershocks have been ongoing after the Greek[1] holiday island of Crete[2] was rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake[3] on Thursday morning. The earthquake led to a tsunami warning being issued, with people urged to stay away from coast areas, but thankfully the position of the epicentre made such a catastrophe very unlikely. Tremors were also felt as far as Turkey, Egypt and Israel.

It comes after a powerful 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck[4] near the coast of Crete last week. For the latest updates on the Crete earthquake, follow our live blog below...

21:45Ethan Blackshaw

Tsunami was unlikely

Efthymios Lekkas, head of Greece's Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, said the earthquake's location - at sea and rather deep - meant a tsunami today was unlikely. The quake struck at the junction of the African and European tectonic plates.

21:44Ethan Blackshaw

Aftershocks are unusual in Crete

Charalambos Fasoulas, a geologist from the Natural History Museum of Crete, said earthquakes in Greece "do not usually give many and large aftershocks".

He added: "Usually these earthquakes are 'solitary' and have no other consequences on the upper crust... They are earthquakes with which both we and our buildings must learn to live."

21:42Ethan Blackshaw

Aftershocks expected to be 'harmless'

Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos said additional aftershocks will be "all harmless". "Fortunately, the depth and distance from the island became a shield of protection again," he wrote on social media.

21:41Ethan Blackshaw

Aftershocks continue...

Aftershocks have continued through the day following the powerful magnitude 6.1 earthquake which occurred in Crete on Thursday morning at around 6am.

Thankfully, no injuries have thus far been reported. Tremors were felt as far off as Turkey.

14:25Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

'The whole room was shaking'

A British holidaymaker staying at a plush resort has described the moment she was woken up by the earthquake. Claire Gibson was shaken awake by the early morning tremors which hit the holiday island hotel.

The flooring and furniture retailer was staying at Hersonissos, Crete, which was struck by the earthquake earlier today. The epicentre was in the sea 36 miles north-northeast of Elounda which is on the northern coast of the Greek island. It was 43 miles deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

The shock was felt extensively across islands throughout the Aegean Sea as reported by NeedToKnow. She described the moment the seismic waves hit, said: "My phone just woke me up. There was an earthquake notification.

"The alert went off, woke us up and the whole room was shaking. It was my first experience of an earthquake. "Because our hotel is right on the coastline our first concern was the risk of a tsunami.

The floor was shaking - it was an unsettling experience. "The wardrobe doors were banging like mad and we could feel the whole building shake. Thankfully there was no damage."

Claire Gibson, with husband Mark, say they were shaken awake by the early morning tremors (Jam Press/Claire Gibson)13:33Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Foreign Office guidance after recent earthquakes in Greece

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office recently issued new guidance for British travellers heading to Greece after a string of earthquakes and tremors.

It reads: "The area around the Cycladic islands of Santorini (Thira), Anafi, Ios and Amorgos, experienced increased earthquake activity in early 2025. This increase has since subsided and the tourist season is expected to continue as usual. "There is a risk of earthquakes and earth tremors in Greece.

You should familiarise yourself with safety procedures in the event of an earthquake, follow advice given by the local authorities and call the Greek emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger."

12:52Milo Boyd

Earthquake forces road to close in tourist hotspot

In Iraklio, Crete's main port city, a major road was sealed off after fragments of broken plaster from an old and deteriorating building plummeted to the street. The quake also caused a stir on social media, with reports flooding in from as far away as Athens and central Greece. In Cyprus, residents in some areas also reported feeling light tremors.

11:50Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

No reports of injuries

Regional government official Giorgos Tsapakos told state-run television that "there are no reports of injuries or any serious damage" following initial assessments of the affected areas.

The shock was felt extensively across islands throughout the Aegean Sea. Earthquake and Planning Protection Organisation director Efthymios Lekkas noted that deeper earthquakes typically cause less surface damage.

11:38Milo Boyd

What should I do if I have a holiday planned in Crete?

Usually travel insurance providers will pay out if the UK's Foreign Office[5] has issued a 'do not travel' warning to the area you had planned to visit. Right now there is no such warning in place for Greece - meaning you're less likely to get a refund.

No travel advisories have been issued for Crete following the earthquake (undefined via Getty Images)11:08Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Items topple off the shelves after 'powerful' earthquake

More images from Crete show a chaotic scene inside one of the island's major supermarkets, where items came crashing into the aisles during this morning's earthquake. It's probably one of the last things any shop worker wants to see when they turn up to work.

(cretapost.gr)10:54Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Rubble strewn across street after part of building collapses

We've just recieved some of the first pictures of the damage cause by this morning's earthquake. In one image, an area of the high street in Heraklion, Crete can be seen cordoned off by police after the facade of a building partially collapsed, scattering rubble across the street below.

Part of a building collapsed in Heraklion, Crete, leading police to cordon off the area (cretapost.gr)10:07Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

'Scared' Brits share their experiences of Crete earthquake

British holidaymakers are now sharing their experiences of the earthquake this morning - with some claiming they have been 'too scared to sleep' after waking up to shaking.

One wrote on social media: "I'm in Heraklion and our room shook, grabbed my toddler. we are all anxious now" Another said: "So glad you're panicking too. Everyone at my hotel is so calm and I've freaking since this morning"

09:42Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Residents reported objects falling inside homes

Greece's Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said some people in Crete reported objects falling inside their homes during this morning's quake - but said there had been no damage to hospitals on the island.

He wrote on X: "We had no damage at all to the health units of Crete from the strong morning earthquake."

09:27KEY EVENT

Moment cat 'senses' earthquake before dashing for safety

Another CCTV video from Lasithi in Crete today shows a cat appearing to 'sense' something was wrong a couple of seconds before the earthquake begins. The feline has been praised for its intuition after it was seen suddenly stopping in its steps, looking around suspiciously and doing a 180-degree turn while crossing a patio. By the time the shaking had started, the kitty had already made a quick exit across the road.

After the footage was shared on Facebook this morning, one admirer commented: "Just amazing how animals can tell before it happens."

09:14Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

More CCTV footage of earthquake

New footage out of Heraklion, Crete shows buildings visibly tembling this morning during the earthquake. While we're now getting confirmation of damage to some structures, no injuries have been reported on the island so far.

CCTV footage of 6.1 Earthquake in Heraklion, Crete, Greece pic.twitter.com/1G5rVlajrJ[7]

-- Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) May 22, 2025[8]08:57Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Schools told they can stay open

Schools in the Lasithi region of Crete - one of the areas that felt the strongest tremors last night - have been told they can open as normal today. It follows an order from the local government for headteachers to urgently check their buildings for damage this morning.

08:46Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Landslides reported after earthquake

A number of smaller roads have been closed due to landslips after this morning's earthquake, local firefighters have said.

One of these occurred on the route between Myrtos and Tertsa in Crete, causing major traffic disruption this morning The Imbros Gorge in Sfakia, a seven-mile canyon that attracts many visitors in the summer, will remain closed today as a precaution, authorities said.

08:24KEY EVENT

CCTV video shows moment ground begins to shake

New CCTV footage from Crete shows the moment the ground began to shake around 6.20am this morning. In the clip, a motorbike is seen passing through a residential road a few seconds before the camera begins to tremble, causing an overhead power cable to sway back and forth.

The shaking lasts around 30 seconds before it begins to settle.

[embedded content]08:11Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Earthquake occurred when African plate slid under Aegean

That's according to Professor Ovgun Ahmet Ercan, a seismologist who rose to fame in Turkey following the deadly 1999 Golcuk earthquake. He led efforts to raise public awareness about earthquakes, and called for improved preparedness after 20,000 people perished in the quake. Reacting to this morning's earthquake, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "An earthquake measuring M6.1 at a depth of 25 km in the northeast of Crete shook our Teke Peninsula.

"The earthquake occurred in the African slice subducting under the Aegean. Aftershocks of up to M5 will be seen. It will not trigger another earthquake in Turkiye."

07:58Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Earthquake also felt in Turkey

Mugla, Izmir and several other provinces in Turkey located along the Aegean sea reported shaking following this morning's earthquake.

Professor Okan Tuysuz from Istanbul University said that aftershocks of up to magnitude 5 could occur in the coming days - but talked down the likelihood of a tsunami. He told Turkish media: "Tsunamis develop more in earthquakes that are especially close to the surface. It is possible for this earthquake to cause a tsunami, but the probability is low."

07:44Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Greece's deadliest earthquake remembered

The Great Kefalonia Earthquake struck Greece's Ionian Islands on August 12 1953, reaching a magnitude of 7.2 - one of the strongest in the country's history.

As many as 800 people are estimated to have been killed, and the quake devastated the island of Kefalonia, destroying nearly 90% of its buildings and leaving thousands homeless. It also triggered tsunamis and was followed by powerful aftershocks, causing further damage across Zakynthos and Ithaca. The disaster led to stricter building regulations in Greece to protect agtainst seismic activity.

07:37Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Map of every earthquake recorded in the area

Here's a map of every earthquake in Greece since 1960, issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre:

Regional instrumental seismicity in Crete, Greece.

The colored dots represent the #earthquakes that have struck the region [using @ISCseism catalog -1960 to 2020- and @EMSC data -from 2021 onwards]: pic.twitter.com/hNike4pWgC[9][10][11][12]

-- EMSC (@LastQuake) May 22, 2025[13]07:30Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

One of Europe's most seismically active regions

Greece and the Aegean islands are in one of the most seismically areas in all of Europe - making it more likely to experience earthquakes. This is because the country lies at the boundary of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. It's also affected by the smaller Anatolian Plate, creating complex fault systems and frequent earthquakes.

Mountainous terrain on Greece's islands also amplifies the impact of tectonic movements, making them more likely to be felt.

07:20Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Tsunami warning issued

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre says tsunami alerts have been issued while the risk is assessed.

"Depending on the distance of the earthquake from the coastline, the tsunami could be local (