5.1 quake shakes Athens, knocks out phone service

A strong, shallow 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Athens yesterday, knocking out phone connections and causing power outages and minor damage, as worried residents rushed into the streets. “There are no reports of serious injury,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on television, adding that a small number of other buildings had suffered minor damage. According to the Greek geodynamic institute, it was a 5.1-magnitude quake with an epicentre 23 kilometres northwest of Athens and was followed by several aftershocks. The quake struck at around 1100 GMT at a depth of 13 kilometres, the institute said.