ATHENS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck Greece on Sunday, shaking people out of bed and causing panic in southern villages but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake woke residents in the capital Athens and prompted people in several other cities to call emergency services.

"It shook me out of bed," said Athens-based Reuters correspondent Karolos Grohmann.

A woman from the northern Athens suburb of Maroussi told a radio station: "The house was shaking badly."

Police said they had not received any reports of casualties or damage so far.

Officials said the epicentre of the quake was near the town of Leonidio on the Peloponnesian peninsula.

"At 7:14 a.m. (0514 GMT) there was a strong earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, 150 km (90 miles) south, southwest of Athens," said the observatory in the capital that monitors quakes.

"There was panic and small items fell in households but there was no serious damage," said the deputy mayor of Leonidio, Ilias Manos.

"It was a very strong earthquake but we've communicated with the surrounding villages and until this moment there is no problem," he told Greek television.

Greek media said they had received calls from people who felt the quake in several towns, mainly in the south and on Aegean Sea islands. (Reporting by Dina Kyriakidou, editing by Ralph Gowling)

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