Earthquake horror as Brit holiday hotspot rocked by 4.8-magnitude tremor

13 June 2024 , 06:33

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Holiday hotspot Rhodes was hit by a earthquake measuring 4.8 on Wednesday night (Image: Getty Images)

A popular holiday destination in Greece has been hit by an earthquake.

Rhodes was rocked by the tremor on Wednesday night which measured 4.8 on the Richter scale. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake's epicentre was detected in the Aegean Sea around 67km (41 miles) south west of the island.

The quake, seismologists said, was "relatively shallow" at just 51km. They said the magnitude could change in the coming hours as it's looked into more closely.

This earthquake map shows where tremors rocked Rhodes Island in Greece

Based on its location and magnitude, it's understood Wednesday's quake will not have caused any severe damage but would have been felt by people on the island. Nearby towns such as Gennadi, Lardos, Archangelos and the island's capital of Rhodes - which is popular with Brit tourists - may have felt weak shaking, the EMSC said. Greek media said it was also felt in Turkey.

An EMSC spokesperson said: "Our monitoring service identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.9 as well. Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter."

Tsunami warning after huge 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocks Ring of Fire island

Greece's most severe earthquake in history hit in 1956 in Amorgos, in the Cyclades archipelago, which measured at 7.7 and destroyed multiple buildings on the island, as well as nearby Santorini. Some 53 died and 100 were injured in the disaster, after it also resulted in a tsunami.

Susie Beever