Athens earthquake: Strong tremor strikes in Greece sending people fleeing from buildings

People are seen on the Syntagma Square following the evacuation of nearby buildings after an earthquake in Athens (Picture: REUTERS)

A strong earthquake has struck near the Greek capital Athens, sending residents fleeing from buildings in panic.

The Athens Institute of Geodynamics gave the earthquake, which struck at 2.38pm local time (11.13am GMT), a preliminary magnitude of 5.1.

However the US Geological Survey gave it a preliminary magnitude of 5.3.

The European Earthquake Monitoring Centre recorded the quake's epicentre at 22 km (14 miles) northwest of the city.

The epicentre was recorded 14 miles northwest of Athens (European Earthquake Monitoring Centre)

Its website quoted a witness as saying the quake was "strong but fortunately not very long".

The shock was caught live in the studios of state broadcaster ERT.

There was no immediate word on injuries or damage.

The quake sparked limited power cuts around Athens and the fire brigade reported receiving calls about people being trapped in building elevators.​