Greece’s 5.5 magnitude earthquake triggers tsunami fears, thousands told to move to higher ground

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake that hit Greece’s Crete on Monday morning has triggered tsunami fears and prompted the monitoring agencies to release an advisory asking people living in coastal areas to move to safety.

The quake hit 60 km (37 miles) to the northeast of Siteia in Greece at 1.25 am local time on Monday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). It occurred at a depth of 80 km, the independent monitoring organisation said.

A warning message tweeted by the EMSC advised those next to the sea to “move away from the coast and reach a higher place”.

The EMSC also shared several safety tips on Twitter.

However, no such message has yet been broadcast by Greek authorities.

The earthquake is reported to have been felt as far away as North Africa. No injuries or damage to buildings has been reported in any of the areas affected.

Local reports say mobile phone systems in Crete were temporarily overloaded as a result of demand on the network in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.