A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near the Greek island of Kasos early Wednesday, prompting a short-lived tsunami warning and shaking felt across multiple countries in the eastern Mediterranean.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake occurred at 1:51 a.m. Cairo time (22:51 UTC on Tuesday). The epicenter was located approximately 15 kilometers south of Fry, Kasos, at a depth of 74 kilometers.
Greek authorities briefly issued a tsunami alert, urging coastal residents to move away from the shore. The warning was later lifted after no abnormal sea activity was observed.
The earthquake was felt in Cairo, Alexandria, and across the Nile Delta. Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) recorded it at magnitude 6.0, a variance due to different measurement models.
NRIAG confirmed that no injuries or structural damage were reported in Egypt. Sherif El-Hady, head of NRIAG’s Seismology Department, explained that the tremor was noticeable in Cairo due to the city’s soft clay soil, which amplifies seismic activity even from distant epicenters.
An aftershock was reportedly felt in Marsa Matrouh, according to local Egyptian media, though this has not been confirmed by USGS or EMSC.
The tremor was also felt in southern Türkiye, parts of Libya, Cyprus, and several Greek islands, including Crete and Rhodes. No casualties or major damage have been reported in any of the affected countries.
The region lies along the Hellenic Arc, one of the most active seismic zones in the eastern Mediterranean, where offshore quakes are common and occasionally felt across borders.
