New quake shakes Greek island of Zakynthos

The earthquake, which the institute described as "strong", was recorded at 11:55 am (0855 GMT) off the south coast of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Sea, some 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of Athens.

"The most likely scenario is that this is an aftershock of earlier seismic activity," institute seismologist Alexandros Andreou told AFP, adding that there were no immediate reports of damage.

There has been a string of moderately strong quakes in the same undersea area since April 10, measuring between 5.4 and 5.9 on the Richter scale.

Tremors last week caused cracks to appear in buildings on the popular holiday island and led the authorities to temporarily close local schools as a safety measure.

They also dislodged earth around the island capital's Venetian fortress, threatening part of its wall with imminent collapse, according to the culture ministry.

At the local archaeological museum, an ancient statue fell and broke its base, the ministry added.

Greece is more affected by seismic activity than any other European country and bears the brunt of half of all earthquakes on the continent.

The Ionian Sea is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the country.

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