ATHENS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hit the eastern Aegean Sea off Greece's Island of Samos on Friday, the National Observatory of Athens' Geodynamic Institute said.
Greek seismologists have revised an earlier estimate by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) that the quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.
Tremors were felt throughout the Aegean Islands and in much of mainland Greece.
The epicenter of the quake was located about 16 kilometers northwest of Samos at a depth of two kilometers according to the updated estimates, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Four people have been lightly injured on Samos, AMNA added. The fire brigade has not been notified of people trapped in buildings, according to an e-mailed statement.
The quake has damaged buildings, mainly old ones, including a church, and parts of Samos' road network. Material damages have also been reported on the nearby islands of Chios and Ikaria, according to AMNA.
The quake has reportedly hit the seaside city of Izmir in Turkey harder. AMNA and many other Greek media carried Turkish media reports on at least four casualties and some 120 injuries caused by collapsed buildings.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean, and islanders have been advised to stay away from the coastline, Efthymios Lekkas, president of Greece's Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, told AMNA.
He said that those who fled to the streets should not panic and that aftershocks measuring up to 6 on the Richter scale were likely to follow.
Friday's tremor was most probably the main earthquake, Manolis Skordilis, seismology professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told AMNA, stressing that the area has experienced strong quakes in recent decades.
Earthquake-prone Greece has suffered from several destructive quakes in recent history.
In 1999, over 100 people lost their lives when a quake measuring 6 on the Richter scale jolted Athens. Enditem
