A firefighters searches for trapped people at a damaged structure following an earthquake at the port of Piraeus, near Athens
ATHENS residents ran out into the streets after a strong earthquake hit the Greek capital.
A preliminary magnitude of 5.1 was revealed by the Athens Institute of Geodynamics.
The quake sparked limited power cuts around Athens and was caught live by the state broadcaster ERT.
The fire brigade reported it is receiving calls about people trapped in building elevators. There was no immediate word on injuries or damage.
Gerasimos Papadopoulos, the senior seismologist at the geodynamics institute, said: “It had a very shallow depth and that’s why it was felt so strongly.”
“It is too early to say whether this was the main earthquake.
“We need more time and data to have a clear picture.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here