A tsunami alert has been issued off the island of Crete as tourists have been warned to "move away from the coast."
It comes after a 6.1 magnitude quake hit off the Greek island, causing tremors across Turkey and Israel.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre says tsunami alerts have been issued while the risk is assessed.
"Depending on the distance of the earthquake from the coastline, the tsunami could be local (<100 km), regional (<1,000 km) or distant (>1,000 km)," officials said in a statement.
There was damage on the Greek island
Getty
The tremor, which hit 79km off the city of Heraklion at 6.19 am (3.19 GMT) on Thursday, jolted locals and tourists holidaying on the island at the start of the summer season, according to reports on social media.
CCTV video posted on Facebook showed plant pots on a balcony shaking for seconds.
The Greek government has issued a national directive ordering people to stay safe as they continue to assess the quake and any potential aftershocks.
Residents in eastern Crete reported being woken by the tremor.
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"We didn't just shake, the whole earth seemed to wobble like jelly," said British holidaymaker Nigel Cummings, who was in Crete.
"The text message people got warning about a tsunami frightened a lot of us."
As of yet, no injuries have been reported following the earthquake, and there have been no immediate reports of damage to buildings or infrastructure.
This morning's tremor comes just over a week after another significant earthquake in the region.
The latest 6.1 magnitude quake hit off the Greek island, causing tremors across Turkey and Israel
USGS
A 6.3-magnitude quake struck both Crete and Rhodes last week, sparking panic among holidaymakers and locals.
That earthquake registered at a depth of 62.5 kilometres and struck as many people slept, according to the Geodynamic Institute of Athens.
Crete is a seismological hotspot, situated along a complex fault boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.
