6.4 Earthquake in Greece Does No Serious Damage; No Casualties; Quake Was Deep (Video)

A 6.4 earthquake in Greece shook the country, Saturday but did little damage. The 6.4 magnitude 6.4 earthquake was centered off 43 miles off the coast of the island of Crete.

The US Geological Survey recorded the earthquake in Greece at a 6.4 magnitude, which would classify it as a major earthquake. Three years ago Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. The Athens Geological Institute measured the earthquake in Greece at a 6.2 magnitude. The institute described it as "severe." In 1999, a 5.9 magnitude quake killed 143 people.

Police and the fire department said that the 6.4 earthquake caused only minor damage off the coast of the island. Officials in Crete say there were no reports of any serious damage or any casualties. Media reports in Crete said the 6.4 earthquake caused minor damage to shops and houses in Chania, which is west of Crete.

the U.S. Geological Survey said the center of the 6.4 earthquake happened at about 4:11 pm local time in Greece. The earthquake was 22.5 miles below the seabed.

People reportedly felt the tremors as far as 180 miles away. the Athens Geological Institute said tremors were reported from as far away as Athens, the capital of Greece. Tremors were felt across southern Greece. the Athens Geological Institute took reports of tremors from The Peloponnese peninsula and the Cyclades cluster of islands.

Speaking by phone from Heraklion, the capital of Crete, resident Katerina Zaharioudaki told Reuters "It was big. We were rattled a lot and the lights were swaying back and forth. It was much stronger than the earthquakes we're used to and it lasted several seconds."

Geology professor Efthimios Lekkas told Greek television that the 6.4 earthquake was deep below the surface, which explained why it didn't cause any serious damage.