At least one dead as powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattles Greek island of Crete damaging buildings and sending crowds into the streets

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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Crete in southern Greece on Monday morning, damaging several buildings and trapping citizens in collapsed structures with at least one person reported dead.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 9:17am local time (6:17am GMT), was 14 miles northwest of Arvi - roughly 153 miles southeast of Athens - and six miles deep, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. 

One person, identified as Iakovos Tsagarakis, 65, was killed by falling debris as he was working to restore the dome of the church of the Prophet Elias in Arkalochori which caved in during the quake.

His son was one of several others injured in the collapse, but he managed to escape and call the emergency services, though he suffered several broken bones according to Protothema.

The quake sent citizens rushing out into the streets to avoid being trapped, and triggered the evacuation of schools. Around 20 people have suffered injuries with several people thought to be trapped in rubble. 

Earlier the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0, but it has since been downgraded after seismologists reviewed their data.

Several aftershocks also struck the area, with the EMSC giving a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 for the strongest one. 

'It's an earthquake that we did not expect, for the moment there are aftershocks of 4.5', said seismologist Efthymis Lekkas, who described the surprise quake as a 'thunderbolt'. 

Greece is located on a number of fault lines, and is sporadically hit by earthquakes.

A damaged Greek Orthodox chapel after a strong earthquake in Arkalochori village in central Crete. At least one person has been killed by falling debris while rescue workers seek to recover more from the rubble

One person who was working in a church in the island's central village of Arkalochori was killed when the dome, which was undergoing renovations, caved in according to Greek channel ERT

A damaged church in the aftermath of an earthquake in Roussochoria, eastern Crete. Central and eastern parts of the island suffered severe damage

CCTV footage from the e-damianakis.gr store in Gazi, Heraklion, shows the moment the earthquake hit and shook the store

A damaged church in the aftermath of an earthquake in Roussochoria, eastern Crete. At least one person died and nine were injured.

Heraklion suffered little damage, while villages at the centre of the island suffered considerable damage

Several aftershocks also struck the area, with the EMSC giving a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 for the strongest one

Firefighters look for people in the rubble of a demolished church in Arkalochori. Two people are thought to be trapped under the rubble in the village

Natural Disaster Management team members carry the body of a victim in the aftermath of an earthquake in Arkalochori

A man stands outside a damaged building after a strong earthquake in Arkalochori village. The village in central Crete was among the worst hit areas with reports of considerable damage to modern and old structures alike

Several structures in Heraklion were damaged by the 5.8 magnitude quake, while reports from villages in central Crete say several people are trapped in collapsed buildings

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Crete in southern Greece on Monday morning, damaging several buildings and trapping citizens in collapsed structures

Local media in Crete has reported considerable damage, with collapsing walls of old stone buildings, churches, and temples in villages near the epicentre of the quake on the eastern part of the island.  

Rescue operations are now underway in Arkalochori, which appears to be the worst hit by the quake, as well as the village of Patsideros. 

According to the mayor of Minoa Pediados, Manolis Fraggakis, the damage in Arkalochori and the surrounding areas is significant and has affected modern buildings as well as older structures, pillars and temples.

Authorities have deployed helicopters to assess the extent of the damage and direct rescue teams, and have already received reports of significant damage to water supply networks as well as buildings.

The fire department said it was flying 30 members of its disaster response units with sniffer dogs and specialised rescue equipment to Crete, while all its disaster response units and the fire department services on Crete were placed on general alert. 

Dad of two Iakovos Tsagarakis, 65 - who had recently become a grandad - has been identified as the man killed when a church dome he was working to restore collapsed.

He was one of three builders trapped under the toppled dome while renovating the church of the Prophet Elias in Arkalochori. 

Neighbours said they were working at the church to repair from previous earthquakes.

The mayor of Viannos, Minas Stavrakakis, said: 'Unfortunately, my dear friend and classmate died tragically this morning in the church of Prophet Elias.

'At the time of the earthquake, he was working with his son in the church when the dome fell.

'His son is in shock because he was with his father. The victim was the father of two children and had recently become a grandfather.'

The minister for civil protection Christos Stylianides is expected to visit the site later on Monday according to ERT, and will be accompanied by several experts to assess the damage and organise repairs.

Earlier today, the mayor of Arkalochori village at the centre of the island told Skai TV that several buildings had been damaged and two people were trapped, one in a church when the dome collapsed during maintenance work, and another in a home.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Crete's coastal capital Heraklion, Vassilis Lambrinos, told Skai TV that there were no immediate reports from emergency services of any injuries or severe damage in his city, but confirmed all schools have been evacuated as authorities check buildings for structural damage. 

International and domestic flights to Heraklion airport weren't affected by the quake, while the region's hoteliers association said there was no serious damage to any hotels in the area, which includes many popular holiday resorts. 

British tourists were evacuated from resorts and islanders ran out into the streets when the quake shook their homes at 9.17am local time. 

Guests at Crete's seaside resorts have reportedly been allowed back into their hotels as aftershocks seemed to have subsided. 

Rescue operations are now underway in Arkalochori, which appears to be the worst hit by the quake, as well as the village of Patsideros

A local reacts following an earthquake in Heraklion on the island of Crete, Greece, September 27, 2021. The earthquake sent residents flocking into the streets to avoid being trapped in their homes, while all schools have been evacuated

The quake sent citizens rushing out into the streets and triggered the evacuation of schools

No deaths or injuries have been reported in Crete's capital city of Heraklion but evacuations of buildings and schools did take place

The mayor of Crete's coastal capital Heraklion, Vassilis Lambrinos, told Skai TV that there were no immediate reports from emergency services of any injuries or severe damage in his city, but confirmed all schools have been evacuated as authorities check buildings for structural damage.

The Earth is moving under our feet: Tectonic plates move through the mantle and produce Earthquakes as they scrape against each other

Tectonic plates are composed of Earth's crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle. 

Below is the asthenosphere: the warm, viscous conveyor belt of rock on which tectonic plates ride.

The Earth has fifteen tectonic plates (pictured) that together have moulded the shape of the landscape we see around us today 

Earthquakes typically occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates, where one plate dips below another, thrusts another upward, or where plate edges scrape alongside each other. 

Earthquakes rarely occur in the middle of plates, but they can happen when ancient faults or rifts far below the surface reactivate. 

These areas are relatively weak compared to the surrounding plate, and can easily slip and cause an earthquake.