Athens: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 5.2 was recorded in Greece near Athens on Friday, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said.
The earthquake occurred 79 kilometers (49 miles) northwest of the Athens suburb of Peristeri, population 139,000, at 06:26 GMT, the EMSC added. Its focus was 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) deep.
The town of Prokopi with the famous Church of St. John of Russia, which is visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims on a regular basis, is located at a distance of just 9 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake.
No injuries or damage have been reported so far, but Greek seismologists stress that they do not know how the situation will develop further, as powerful earthquakes have not previously hit the area despite its intense seismicity, local media reported.
