A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale was recorded at 15.23 (13.28 GMT) some 37 kilometers southwest of the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, across from the Asia Minor coast. An aftershock was reported 12 minutes later, measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale.
By some accounts, the tremor was felt as far away as Athens.
A seismological institute in Greece said the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers.