Athens (AP): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude 5.4 shook southern Greece early Wednesday, authorities said, but no injuries or damage were reported.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the undersea quake occurred at 1:15 a.m. (2315GMT) west of the island of Kythira, some 230 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Athens.

Kythira mayor Thodoros Koukoulis said no damage was reported.

``The earthquake occurred in the night and not all that many people noticed it,'' he told state NET television.

An institute spokeswoman said the earthquake was caused by the same fault responsible for two strong quakes last week off the nearby city of Kalamata. The magnitude 6.5 and 6.4 temblors on Feb. 14 were felt as far away as Egypt, but caused only minor damage and no injuries.

Greece is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions. In 1999, a 5.9-magnitude quake near Athens killed 143 people and left thousands more homeless.