Athens, Jan 11, (dpa/GNA) – Cyprus and the entire eastern Mediterranean were shaken by an earthquake early on Tuesday.
European earthquake monitor ESMC said it was a 6.5-magnitude quake, with an epicenter under the sea, around 120 kilometers north-west of Limassol.
The authorities withdrew a warning of a possible tidal wave about an hour after the quake occurred.
There was no initial information on possible casualties or severe damage, Cypriot Civil Defence spokesperson Olivia Michailidou told Cypriot state radio early on Tuesday.
Thousands of people ran out to the street and spent the night outdoors, according to Cypriot state broadcaster RIK.
“Many people were startled and ran out of their houses,” Giotis Papachristos, mayor of the port city Polis said in comments broadcast on television.
He said he had only seen minor damage. There were no casualties in his area, he said.
The earthquake struck minutes after 0100 GMT in the early hours of the morning and was felt in southern Turkey, Israel, Egypt and the Greek islands of Crete and Rhodes, the broadcaster reported.
GNA