ATHENS: Two moderate earthquakes of over 5.0 magnitude struck off the Greek island of Crete early Monday but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the first quake, with a 5.1 magnitude, hit at 4:11am local time (0111 GMT) about 47 kilometres (29 miles) northeast of the city of Sitia.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 5.2, struck the same point exactly three hours later, at 7:11am. Greece is prone to earthquakes, with many occurring offshore.