Valencia issues brief tsunami alert following Greek earthquake

The Valencia regional government issued a tsunami warning on Tuesday morning following a 6.7-magnitude earthquake that struck off the west coast of Greece.

The warning – which advised people to stay away from beaches and other coastal areas, due to fears that water levels could rise by up to one meter – was canceled after just 24 minutes.

A Valencia government spokesman said that the Interior Ministry’s civil protection service had asked local authorities to declare the alert and then later decided to withdraw it. The same instructions were given to other Spanish regions on the Mediterranean coast, the spokesman said.

After the alert was issued, the region’s Emergency Coordination Center activated its emergency action plan throughout Valencia. Coastal municipalities and ports were also put on alert.

The earthquake struck on the opposite side of the Mediterranean between the Greek islands of Lefkada and Corfu, and was detected about two kilometers beneath the surface, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

English version by Martin Delfín.