An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 shook Crete on Monday and one person was killed when a church dome collapsed, authorities said.

The quake, which made people on Greece's largest island evacuate their homes and public buildings, was described by Greek seismologist Efthymios Lekkas as a "thunderbolt" with strong aftershocks.

A man died when the dome of a church in the town of Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, a police official said. Civil protection authorities said nine people were injured in the quake, which caused considerable damage to a number of builidngs.

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The tremor prompted many people in Crete's main city Heraklion to rush outdoors. Schoolchildren were told to leave their classrooms, gathering in schoolyards and town squares.

"It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds," a local mayor told Skai television.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake's magnitude reached 5.8 and its epicentre was 23 kilometers (14 miles) northwest of Arvi in southeastern Crete, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Anything between magnitude 5 and 6 is described as a moderate earthquake by most seismologist groups and should be monitored for further shocks.

Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake in Crete measured 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0.