ATHENS , Greece ( CNN ) -- A strong earthquake jolted western Greece on Sunday , killing at least two people and trapping several people beneath collapsed buildings , according to officials and state-run media . Rescuers remove a victim from a collapsed building after an earthquake struck Greece Sunday . Another 37 were hurt as a result of the quake , many as they tried to flee their homes , Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said at a news conference in Athens . The temblor struck around 3:30 p.m. [ 8:30 a.m . ET ] and measured 6.1 in magnitude , according to the U.S. Geological Survey . Athens ' Geodynamic Institute registered the quake at 6.5 on the Richter scale -- which is no longer used by the USGS . Its epicenter was located about 20 miles [ 32 kilometers ] southwest of the Greek port city of Patras . Pavlopoulos immediately dispatched a rescue and recovery team , which includes members of five government agencies , to assess the damage and needs in the quake-stricken Peloponnese region . So far , most of those reported trapped have been removed -- including a 43-year-old villager who died after his house collapsed on him , the interior minister said . The other victim died of a heart attack while being rushed to the hospital , he said . `` This is a very serious quake , but there will be no evacuations , '' Pavlopoulos said . iReport.com : Are you there ? Send pictures , video . Video showed rescuers pulling an injured man from a collapsed building , quickly outfitting him with a respirator mask and loading him onto a stretcher . Watch rescuers pull out a survivor from rubble » . It was `` no surprise '' that a strong quake hit in the area , where earthquakes are common , according to Geodynamic Institute director Gerasimos Papadopoulos . People in Athens -- about 80 miles [ 129 kilometers ] east of the epicenter -- felt the ground shake for as long as 20 seconds . Due to its fault lines , Greece is one of the most quake-prone countries in the European Union . A quake and aftershock both measuring over 6.4 in magnitude struck near Kalamata off the southern coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in mid-February , causing no major damage or injuries . The last major earthquake in Greece was in 1999 and left about 100 people dead . Journalist Anthee Carassava contributed to this report .
Greece : Two people killed ; several people trapped beneath collapsed buildings . Strong earthquake magnitude 6.1 struck southern Greece . Epicenter was about 20 miles southwest of port city of Athens . Athens -- about 80 miles east of the epicenter -- felt the ground shake .