Strong quake causes damage, injures 14 on Greek island

USPA News - A strong and shallow earthquake struck off an island in western Greece on early Monday morning, sending frightened residents into the streets and injuring more than a dozen people, emergency officials said. It came just over a week after another quake struck the island.

The 6.1-magnitude earthquake at 05:08 a.m. local time (0308 GMT) was centered in the Ionian Sea about 12 kilometers (7 miles) northwest of Lixouri, the main town on the peninsula of Paliki on the island of Kefalonia, part of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. It struck about 13.7 kilometers (8.5 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake was widely felt across the island, where residents already frightened by last month`s earthquake woke up and fled their homes. USGS computer models estimated that some 25,000 people may have perceived `very strong` to `strong` shaking, while as many as 1.5 million others may have felt `light` to `moderate` shaking. Damage was reported across the island, including in Lixouri where the shaking damaged Mantzavinateio hospital, school buildings, the port, and other buildings. At least 14 people were also reported injured from falling objects, but none of the victims were seriously injured and all were released by Monday evening. "I came here and saw with regret that Lixouri suffered serious damage, which to a degree affects the ability of residents to enjoy a normal life," said Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Dendias after visiting the town. "In this regard the state has a direct obligation to respond, which is why I am here. I will inform the prime minister about what I saw and from there the government must do its work." In response to the latest earthquake, the government sent 30 additional police officers to the island, in addition to fire department officials. It came just over a week after another strong earthquake - which also had a magnitude of 6.1 - struck on the southern part of Kefalonia, damaging hundreds of buildings and injuring several others.