Greece Declares State of Emergency in Lesbos

Greece has declared a state of emergency on the island of Lesbos, after a strong earthquake hit the island on Tuesday.

The island is located in the north east of the Aegean Sea and is narrowly separated from Turkey by the Mytilini Strait.

The earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, could be felt as far as Istanbul. Seismologists confirmed that the island was also hit by a few aftershock tremors.

Local government officials said that the earthquake has left more than 800 people displaced. They said that several homes in 12 of the villages on the island were either severely damaged or completely destroyed.

The village of Vrisa on the southern part of the island was experienced the most damage. Local authorities have said that more than 40 houses were destroyed after the quake, while another 40 had been badly damaged.

Authorities have not confirmed whether there are currently any people missing that may be trapped under rubble. They did confirm that dozens of people have been injured, and that one woman has died.

It is possible that the death toll may rise.

Lesbos is home to thousands of refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Rescue workers told reporters that there had been no damage caused to the two refugee camps on the island and that no injuries had been reported.