Nando Times

ATHENS, Greece (June 23, 2001 7:23 a.m. EDT) - A strong earthquake shook the Aegean Sea holiday island of Rhodes on Saturday, authorities said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

The undersea quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7, occurred at 9:50 a.m. just south of Rhodes, about 290 miles southeast of Athens, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

The quake was also felt on the nearby resort islands of Karpathos and Kastelorizo, but there were no reports of damage or injuries on either island.

It was the third strong quake to strike the area in less than two months.

The same region was hit with a magnitude-5.1 quake on May 29 and a 5.2 on May 1. Neither quake caused serious damage or injuries.

An earthquake of magnitude 2.5 to 3 is the smallest generally felt by people. A quake of magnitude 5 can cause moderate damage.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), June 24, 2001