Scared Brits told FLEE coasts amid tsunami fears after 6.3-mag quake hits Greek isles making ground ‘wobble like jelly’

TERRIFIED Brits have been told to immediately evacuate coastal regions of Greece amid tsunami fears after a huge earthquake.

A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the holiday hotspots of Crete and Rhodes overnight and quickly sparked panic among holidaymakers and locals.

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A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the holiday hotspots of Crete and Rhodes overnight[/caption]

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People were told to immediately flee coastal regions as a tsunami warning was imposed[/caption]

The quake registered a depth of 62.5 kilometres and struck as many people slept, according to the Geodynamic Institute of Athens.

Its epicentre was the tiny Aegean island of Kasos.

Even citizens in Israel reported feeling shockwaves from the powerful earthquake, The Jerusalem Post reported.

At around 3:57am on Wednesday morning a second tremor was felt south of Kasos and Karpathos which measured at 3.4-mag.

A third shortly followed which prompted emergency services to take the very rare step of releasing a tsunami warning.

People in Rhodes, Karapathos and Kasos were all sent an emergency alert about “a potential tsunami risk”, by Greece‘s Emergency Communication Service.

Those in the shock zones were urged to avoid coastal areas and closely follow instructions from officials .

And Brits who were in southern Aegean region when the series of tremors hit have now described the ground beneath them as “wobbling like jelly”.

Crete holidaymaker Nigel Cummings said: “We didn’t just shake, the whole earth seemed to wobble like jelly.

“The text message people got warning about a tsunami frightened a lot of us.”

Anastasia, a local employee at a sea front hotel in Rhodes, added: “People here have been really shaken up. A lot haven’t slept.

“It was really powerful, so powerful they underplayed it.”

No damage or injuries have been reported as of yet.

Speaking on the initial quake, Efthymios Lekkas, president of Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation, told Greece’s public broadcaster: “The main characteristic of this strong tremor is that its focal depth was at 60 kilometres.”

“This means the seismic waves reached Kasos and Karpathos significantly weakened – and even more so in Crete – resulting, according to initial data and the first accounts from residents, in no reported impacts so far, although of course we do not yet have a complete picture.”

He added: “It was strongly felt across Crete, as well as in Rhodes, Kos and throughout the southeastern Aegean.”

Lekkas also admitted that “we don’t yet have a complete picture” around the potential damages.

More than 624,000 people reside in Crete, with around a third of the island’s population living in the capital, Heraklion.

The region lies in one of the most seismically active zones in Europe, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

It’s generally thought that any earthquake over 6.0 can cause damage if it hits a populated area.

Roughly 100 earthquakes with a magnitude between 6.1 and 6.9 are recorded each year worldwide, according to Michigan Tech University.

It comes after the idyllic Greek island of Santorini was plunged into a state of emergency in February as a total of 7,700 tremors shook the isle in two weeks.

Around 7,700 earthquakes have shaken the Santorini-Amorgos seismic zone since January 26.

AFP

Local Greek officials place caution tapes to restrict access for tourists near the coast as a precaution after quakes were felt earlier this year[/caption]