Earthquake hits Kefalonia - Telegraph Aftershocks and tremors continued to be felt yesterday on the Greek island - which was the setting for Louis de Bernières's novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin - following the 5.9 magnitude quake, which left at least seven injured. "There are reports of minor injuries and some damage to property," said the Foreign Office, on its website. The airport remains operational but there may be some disruption to port services. Local media also described damage to roads and buildings in and around the towns of Lixouri and Argostoli, and the airport's control tower, while fears that a stronger quake could follow has led to schools being shut and a state of emergency being declared. A number of islanders have taken to sleeping in their cars, according to reports. "We need 48 hours to say with 99 per cent certainty that this was the main quake," said Thanassis Ganas, head of research at the Athens Geodynamic Institute. The region was hit by a major earthquake on August 12, 1953, which levelled much of Kefalonia, left the economy in tatters and forced a large number of residents to emigrate. The quake features in Captain Corelli's Mandolin. On the island's Lixouri peninsula, which bore the brunt of the 1953 disaster, ruined homes, abandoned villages and subsided fields can still be seen. "Earth tremors are common in mainland Greece and on most of the Greek islands popular with British tourists," the Foreign Office warns. Serious earthquakes are less frequent but do occur. Follow the advice of local authorities in the event of a natural disaster. See the latest Foreign Office advice for Greece Kefalonia, Greece: the perfect break Greece's best beaches: Myrtos, Kefalonia Ryanair flight went to wrong airport