3rd LD Writethru: Two dead, six injured from 6.1 on Richter scale quake in Lefkada island in western Greece

Two elderly women were killed and six others, including two children, were injured after a 6.1-magnitude quake hit Lefkada island in western Greece, local authorities said.

Both victims were fatally injured from collapsing walls in their homes, according to the Fire Brigade.

The six injured, including two boys aged 10 and 12 respectively, were hospitalized with minor injuries, deputy mayor of Apollonion Municipality on the island, told the Greek national news agency AMNA.

Damages in homes and regional roads have been reported, Katforis said.

The quake was felt across a large part of western Greece. Some people on Lefkada and nearby Ionian Sea island of Kefalonia rushed out into the streets.

Local fire department has sent crews to Lefkada to assess the situation.

Greek scientists at the Geodynamic Institute of the Athens Observatory located the tremor's epicenter at 5 km deep in the sea about 25 km off the island's northwestern coasts, and they revised the magnitude up to 6.1 from a preliminary estimate of 5.6 given by the Euro Mediterranean Seismic Center.

The U.S. Geological Survey said earlier that a magnitude-6.5 earthquake happened 14 km off Nidri, Greece, at 0710 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 20 aftershocks have been recorded over the past few hours, according to Professor Efthymios Lekkas, head of the Antiseismic Policy and Protection Organization.

Earthquakes are common in Greece, but serious injuries and deaths are rare. More than 100 people died in a severe quake near Athens in 1999.

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