A powerful quake that rattled the Greek island of Crete on Tuesday was felt in Cyprus, some 600km away, the geological surveys department said.

The magnitude 6.3 tremor at 12.24pm, was centred at sea, some 23 km (14 miles) east of the village of Zakros in eastern Crete, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

The quake was at a depth of 2 km, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

It also registered on the Cypriot network, the geological surveys department said “despite the great distance of the epicenter from Cyprus”.

“This earthquake was felt in a large part of the island mainly by tenants of tall buildings,” it added.

In Crete, the fire brigade had not received any immediate calls for help, a police official told Reuters.

A strong quake shook Crete last month, killing one person and causing serious damage to buildings.

A Greek seismologist said that Tuesday’s quake came from a different fault.