A British holidaymaker has shared her terrifying experience after being woken up by a powerful earthquake that struck Crete early this morning. The 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, triggered tsunami warnings for several countries, heightening the fear among locals and tourists. The quake took place at 6.19 (local time), about 35 miles north northeast of Heraklion at a depth of around 43 miles, according to data from the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens.
The tremor was felt intensely across the island, particularly in Chania and Rethymno and some reports state that the shaking was noticeable on several Aegean islands and even in parts of mainland Greece, including Athens. Authorities have urged people on the island to move inland and avoid coastal areas due to the risk of tsunami.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) issued a tsunami alert, urging people in Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, and Portugal to follow guidance from their local emergency services.
One British tourist shared the moment she was woken up by the earthquake on TikTok in a video captioned ‘Scariest experience of my life’.
In the video she said: “Excuse the state of me. I’ve just been woken up by a f***ing earthquake. I am absolutely petrified. I was literally asleep and I woke up to the room shaking. I thought the TV was going to fall off. […] I’m so f**ing scarred”.
She also said she was concerned about the potential of a tsunami: “I’m just looking at the sea now thinking, does that look any different?”
Someone else commented: “It woke us up but our hotel is at the beach and I’m scared of a tsunami.”
Another tourist said in a TikTok video: “That was very scary. I was scared last time but this time I’m terrified. That’s been two earthquakes in the past week and I just want to get home safely. I just want to leave. It has put me off coming back.
“Now we’re worried about a tsunami […] This is just my worst nightmare.”
Though no significant damage was initially reported, local media have shown supermarket items scattered across the floors and reported small landslides on rural roads.
