The quake, which struck at 1:34 pm (1134 GMT) between the islands of Kythira and Crete about 215 kilometers (133 miles) south of Athens, would have caused considerably more damage according to the observatory had it not struck so far below the surface.

Two people on Crete were slightly injured by the tremor, according to Net public television. One woman was injured while running out of her home, while another person was injured by broken glass.

On Kythira there was "considerable damage" according to Vassilis Protopsaltis, mayor of the central village of Mitata.

"We've had roads collapse, the church has been damaged, there are cracks including in new homes," he said on Net television.

The director of the Athens observatory said the country was fortunate the quake struck so deep below the surface.

"The quake struck at sea at great depth, about 70 kilometers deep, that is what saved us," said George Stavrakakis.

Appealing to people not to panic, he said it was "99 percent likely that it was the main tremor, we are not expecting strong aftershocks.

About a dozen aftershocks had already been recorded, he said with about four reaching five on the Richter scale.

The quake, which disrupted communications across southern Greece, was felt as far away as the island of Cyprus and the Gaza Strip.

France's Observatory of Earth Sciences in Strasbourg estimated the quake to have measured 6.7 on the open-ended Richter scale.

Italy's civil protection service said the quake was also felt strongly on Sicily, but according to initial reports caused neither injuries or damages.

The tremor came a day after a small earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale was registered off the coast of the Greek island of Cephalonia.

No damage or injuries were reported on Cephalonia or the island of Zante, where residents felt the ground shake early Saturday morning.

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