A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck off the island of Crete in Greece, the German Research Centre for Geosciences has said.

The tremor was felt as far away as Egypt and hit the island in the early morning hours on Wednesday, but no serious property damage was reported.

It struck at a depth of 35km (22 miles) near the island of Karpathos in the Mediterranean Sea, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

Shortly following the earthquake, Greek authorities issued a temporary tsunami warning.

Crete earthquake: Where was the epicentre?

"A magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred 48km [south-east] of Kasos. Risk of possible Tsunami in your area," the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said online. "Move away from the coast immediately."

The current damage to the island is not currently known.

However, the US Geological Survey estimates that there is little risk of landslides or liquefaction - the loss of the ground's structural integrity - taking place.

Tremors from the quake were felt as far away as Israel, Turkey, and Egypt, with the latter reporting a magnitude of 6.4 but no casualties or property damage.

The Greek island of Crete and its surrounding region have long been known as one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone zones.

It lies in one of the most seismically active zones in Europe, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Between January 26 and February 13, more than 18,400 quakes, mainly of a low magnitude, were recorded off islands in the Cyclades archipelago.