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Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-04-11
CONTENTS
[01] Strong 5.7R quake again jolts Zakynthos
[01] Strong 5.7R quake again jolts Zakynthos
A strong earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted the
island of Zakynthos and most of western Greece in the first hours of
Tuesday, preceded by two moderate tremblers measuring 4.4R and 4.7R,
and coming seven days after another 5.7R quake from the same epicentre.
Tuesday's earthquake caused some panic, while damage was restricted to
some minor cracks in a few old buildings and two Venetian bridges,
according to early reports.
Seismologists did not rule out the prospect of a larger quake, but said
it was more likely that the largest aftershock would not have a
magnitude greater than 5.0R, while the Athens Observatory's Geodynamic
Institute director, seismologist George Stavrakakis, in statements to
ANA-MPA, assessed that given the 5.7R quake of April 5 combined with
Tuesday's 5.7R quake, the seismic pressure build-up in the area has
been diffused. A 4.8R quake also struck the region on April 3.
The 5.7R earthquake was recorded at 3:02 a.m. on Tuesday, at a distance
of 380 kilometres southwest of Thessaloniki, with its epicentre in the
sea area some 15 kilometres off the southern coast of Zakynthos, coming
from the same epicentre as the April 3 and 5 quakes. It was preceded by
a 4.4R quake at 00:10 a.m. and a 4.7R quake at 00:27 a.m.
Zakynthos prefect D. Gasparos told ANA-MPA that no serious has been
caused by the seismic activity, except for minor cracks in a few old
buildings and two Venetian bridges, but added that he had decided that
schools would remain closed for the day so that a team of engineers
could inspect the school buildings.
"We, here, on Zakynthos are calm," the prefect said, but did not hide
his concern over the seismic activity in the area over the past week.
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