Strong Earthquake Off Crete Triggers 51 Aftershocks as Authorities Urge Calm

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Crete early Friday, triggering a swarm of at least 51 aftershocks and placing regional civil protection agencies on heightened alert, though no injuries or structural damage were immediately reported. The Geodynamic Institute in Athens recorded the main tremor at just before 6:30 a.m. local time, with the epicenter located in the Mediterranean Sea approximately 23 kilometers southwest of Goudouras in the Sitia municipality of the Lasi...

By ANTHEE CARASSAVA