A strong earthquake shook the region of Attica in the early hours of Monday, May 19, 2025, causing widespread concern among residents in Athens and surrounding areas. The earthquake’s epicenter was located on the island of Evia, near the town of Prokopi. It was initially recorded as a magnitude 4.9 by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), with a shallow depth of just 5 kilometers. However, the National Observatory of Athens later revised the magnitude to 4.5.

The seismic event was recorded at 3:23 a.m. local time and was strongly felt not only in Chalkida and the surrounding parts of Evia but also throughout much of Attica - from central Athens to Mesogeia and Eastern Attica (Greece). Many residents in Artemida reported being jolted awake by the tremor, while hundreds of accounts flooded social media within minutes of the quake.

Google Earthquake Alerts registered the event with an estimated magnitude of 4.5, located approximately 13 kilometers from the Mantoudi–Limni–Agia Anna area. This confirms the significant impact of the earthquake, even at considerable distances from its epicenter.

#Earthquake (#σεισμός) possibly felt 19 sec ago in #Greece. Felt it? Tell us via:
📱https://t.co/QMSpuj6Z2H
🌐https://t.co/AXvOM7I4Th
🖥https://t.co/wPtMW5ND1t
⚠ Automatic crowdsourced detection, not seismically verified yet. More info soon! pic.twitter.com/ywZWNRRQSw

— EMSC (@LastQuake) May 19, 2025

Both the Geodynamic Institute and the National Observatory of Athens confirmed the strength of the tremor and are monitoring the aftershock sequence, which includes several smaller quakes in the same region.

So far, no damages or injuries have been reported. However, authorities are urging the public to remain calm and vigilant. Experts emphasize that shallow earthquakes - such as this one - tend to be more strongly felt, even far from the epicenter.