A strong earthquake has struck near the town of Lixourion, or Lixouri –
population 9,800 – on the island of Kefalonia in western Greece.
Reports of the magnitude of the quake vary, but, at this time, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is still reporting the quake as a magnitude 6.1. The local time was late Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014. Apparently
the shaking was also felt in other countries, including Albania,
Montenegro, Bulgaria and southern Italy. Seismologists and local
officials are reporting damage and possible injuries, according to at
least one report. Few details are available at this time. According to GreekReporter.com:
Residents of Kefalonia are scared. This event reminded them about the
great earthquake of 1953 (M 7.2), where hundreds of people lost their
lives.
Details of the quake, from USGS, follow
Event Time
2014-01-26 13:55:43 UTC
2014-01-26 15:55:43 UTC+02:00 at epicenter
Location
38.208°N 20.425°E depth=18.8km (11.7mi)
Nearby Cities
0km (0mi) NW of Lixourion, Greece
61km (38mi) NW of Zakynthos, Greece
87km (54mi) SSW of Preveza, Greece
89km (55mi) WSW of Mesolongi, Greece
289km (180mi) W of Athens, Greece
Bottom line: The USGS is reporting a strong earthquake in western
Greece, on the island of Kefalonia, with the epicenter at the town of
Lixourion on January 26, 2014.
- EarthSky