Earthquake shakes southern Greece

ATHENS (Reuters) - A 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook the southwestern area of the Peloponnese in Greece in the early hours of Monday. Its epicenter was offshore, 26 km (16 miles) west of the town of Methoni at a depth of 30.4 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no early reports of serious damage or injuries, officials said. An aftershock was measured at 3.3, the head of the Athens Geodynamic Institute, Gerasimos Papadopoulos, told Greek TV ERT. The Peloponnese is a peninsula, separated from mainland Greece by the Corinth canal. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; editing by John Stonestreet)