A strong earthquake struck off the island of Rhodes in the early hours of Tuesday, rattling the Dodecanese archipelago and parts of neighboring Turkey.
The tremor occurred at 2:17 a.m. local time and was measured at a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale by the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens. The epicenter was located in the sea, approximately 21 kilometers north of the island, at a focal depth of about 52 kilometers.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a slightly higher magnitude of 6.2, with a deeper focal depth of 68 kilometers.
The earthquake was widely felt across the Dodecanese islands and as far as the southwestern coast of Turkey. According to initial reports, the quake was intense and of notable duration, prompting concern among residents and tourists. Minor material damage has been reported, but no injuries have been confirmed.
Professor Efthymios Lekkas, President of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), provided reassuring comments. He emphasized that the earthquake’s significant depth was a mitigating factor in its surface impact.
“This was a deep earthquake — around 60 kilometers — which means that while it was strongly felt over a broad area, it is unlikely to produce serious surface effects, tsunamis, or a rich aftershock sequence,” said Lekkas. “It was a very noticeable event for residents of Rhodes and the surrounding region, but we do not expect significant developments beyond this.”
Authorities continue to monitor the situation, but the consensus among experts is that this may have been the main seismic event.
