Greece earthquake today: Tourists warned 'put on your shoes' in Crete as second quake and tsunami warning hits - tremors felt in Turkey, Egypt

The earthquake hit this morning (Thursday 22 May). The epicentre was 36miles off the coast of Elounda in Crete and the earthquake was 43miles deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

But Earthquake and Planning Protection Organisation director Efthymios Lekkas said deeper earthquakes typically cause less surface damage. One tourist in Crete said they received an alert to put on their shoes.

The tourist wrote on X: “Crazy, I got an alert for Crete 27 seconds before and it warned 'Put On Your Shoes!' Hope you are ok, seems to be some damage. Earthquake Network app is very good!“.

Other Greek holiday islands also felt the tremors from the earthquake. One tourist in Santorini said he could feel the tremor. He posted on X saying: “Good morning from Santorini. We had a special wake up call. I hope that all people on Crete are fine after this earthquake. We felt it on Santorini too.”

Nearby countries including Turkey and Egypt were also affected by the Crete earthquake as these holiday destinations also felt the tremors. One user said they were too woken up in Cairo, Egypt. The user said: “I hope you're all fine, the same happened to me here in Cairo, Egypt“. A second on X said: “We even felt it at İzmir, Turkiye. Hope everyone is fine. Greetings and blessings”.

The Greek government also issued a national directive, ordering locals and tourists alike to ‘move away from the coast and reach a higher place’. Regional government official Giorgos Tsapakos said there are no reports of injuries or any serious damage after the quake struck shortly before 9am local time (6am GMT) today, but the Greek fire brigade said all of its forces on Crete are on high alert.

It comes after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded off the coast of Greece last week. It sparked another temporary tsunami warning and fears that the islands of Crete and Rhodes may not be safe to visit.