An earthquake has struck the Greek island of Crete, killing one person and injuring 20 others.

The earthquake, which measured https://youtu.be/3OMEWH8vilU damaged homes and churches and caused rock slides near the country's fourth-largest city on Monday.

People fled into the streets in the city of Heraklion, and schools were evacuated.

Repeated aftershocks of up t0 magnitude-4.6 were described by witnesses as feeling like small explosions.

"The earthquake was strong and was long in duration," Heraklion mayor Vassilis Lambrinos told private Antenna television.

The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake struck at 9:17am (local time), with an epicentre 246 kilometres south-east of Athens.

Greece's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry said one man had been killed. 

He was pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed church in the village of Arkalochori, very close to the epicentre.

Hospital officials said 20 people had been treated for injuries, 10 of them receiving first aid.

Old buildings under threat

"This is not an event that occurred without warning," said seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos on Greece's state broadcaster ERT.

"We have seen activity in this region for several months. This was a strong earthquake, it was not under sea but under land and affecting populated areas," he said.

Seismologist Efthimios Lekkas, who heads Greece's Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said inspections of critical buildings such as schools and hospitals had already begun.

"We are talking about structures built before 1970. Structures built after 1985 are built to a higher standard that can withstand the effect of an earthquake."

Local media said hundreds of homes had been damaged.

Local officials said they had enough capacity to temporarily house 300 people in tents.

AP