Aegean earthquake lightly shakes Israel

An earthquake of moderate intensity shook the Greek islands and southwestern Turkey on Sunday afternoon, with tremors felt as far south as Beersheba.

No deaths or damage were reported after the temblor hit at 3:44 p.m. Israel time.

The earthquake was felt in Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Galilee, Kiryat Gat and Beersheba. No injuries or damage were reported in Israel.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute reported the quake struck with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles) in the Aegean Sea. The quake’s epicenter was the Dodecanese islands in Greece, the biggest of which is Rhodes.

Police in Rhodes said there were no reports of injuries or damage.

No serious casualties were reported in Turkey either, but state TV said some people hurt themselves in the panic during the quake. The TV report provided no details about their injuries or the number of victims.

These regions of Greece and Turkey are in seismically active areas and suffer frequent earthquakes.