The officials said the quake took place 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the island of Zante in the Ionian Sea.

There were no reports of damage or injuries.

The epicentre of the quake, which took place at 3:05 am (0105 GMT) was 340 kilometres (211 miles) west of Athens in the sea, the officials said.

A smaller quake, measuring four on the Richter scale was recorded shortly afterwards, from the same epicentre.

Tremors are very frequent in Greece, one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

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