Mitsotakis visits earthquake-striken Samos, calls for damage evaluation

·

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the eastern Aegean island of Samos on Saturday to inspect the damages caused by a powerful earthquake that killed two teenagers and raised several old buildings to the ground.

Mitsotakis presided over a meeting of government and local officials whom he urged to evaluate the damages in infrastructure.

“The first thing I want to understand is to have a complete picture of the extent of the damages to private property and public infrastructure,” he stressed at the start of the meeting which included Deputy Civil Protection minister Nikos Hardalias.

Officials also discussed the immediate next steps that need to be taken as well as medium-term interventions required mainly on infrastructure.

He then inspected damages at the towns of Vathi and Karlovasi.

During his visit, Mitsotakis also met with the parents of the two teenagers who died when a wall collapsed during Friday’s 6.7-magnitude tremor and expressed his condolences and deep sorrow.

Meanwhile, the municipalities of eastern and western Samos declared a state of emergency for six months (until 30 April 2021).

The island of Chios, which suffered damages by the earthquake, also declared a state of emergency.

Rescue efforts continued apace in Izmir

Rescue efforts continued apace in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Saturday, a day after a powerful earthquake hit the Aegean Sea, causing buildings to come crashing down and claiming the lives of at least 39 people, 37 people Turkey and 2 in Greece. At least 885 people were injured in Turkey.

A total of 20 buildings were seriously damaged in Izmir by the tremor on Friday afternoon, according to Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer, the majority of them in the Bayrakli district.

Search-and-rescue operations remained underway in nine buildings as of Saturday afternoon, while operations have been completed in eight other buildings, Turkey’s disaster agency said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that 103 people have been rescued from the quake’s rubble.

*This is a developing story

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From passion to production: Steven Koutzoumis launches SoundCult studio in Sydney

In the heart of Beverly Hills, a fresh sound is taking shape - and it’s being led by young Greek Australian Steven Koutzoumis who has a vision

Greek immersion in the early years pays off for Year 8 student Mariah Palaktsoglou

Year 8 student Mariah Palaktsoglou won the Hellenic Dreaming High School Short Story Competition held by the Greek Museum of Adelaide Inc.

Faith, family and football: The making of Nectarios Triantis

Growing up in a bustling Greek Australian household in Sydney, footballer Nectarios Triantis was never far from a football - or chaos.

Bella Spasis’ big deal: Live music in Victoria set to thrive

Greek-Victorian bar owner, Isabella (Bella) Spasis, hosted a remarkable event at her venue, ‘The Dog’s Bar’ early on Sunday morning, July 6.

GOCNSW Home for the Aged welcomes Consul General and celebrates its donors

The Greek Orthodox Community Home for the Aged played host to the Consul General of Greece in Sydney and some of its major donors.

You May Also Like

Former travel agent Arthur Zacharias will await sentencing behind bars

A former travel agent who operated a Ponzi scheme which defrauded the owners, clients and a former Hells Angel bikie boss has had his...

Nick Andrianakos strikes $385 million deal for Melbourne’s Northland shopping mall

Nick Andrianakos secured his largest property deal to date, purchasing a 50% stake in Melbourne’s Northland shopping mall for $385 million.

Hellenic Club in Canberra to appeal Gambling Commission’s $1.2 million fine

The Hellenic Club of Canberra has announced that it will appeal a decision by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.