Tents set up for residents of southern Crete regions hit most by earthquake

Authorities set up tents for residents of Arkalohori in the southern part of Crete, after an earthquake registering 5.8 on the Richter scale shook the island on Monday morning.

One person died while repairing a church rook and nine people were injured, one seriously.

Arkalohori homes sustained heavy damage and are unsafe. Armed Forces, volunteers and members of the Hellenic Red Cross set up a temporary tent camp for Monday night. Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides is in the region since Monday afternoon, heading the team that oversees the work.

Tents were also set up at villages along the municipality of Minoas Pediadas, where homes have been damaged.
Stylianides said that at least 40 engineers will arrive in the area on Tuesday to inspect the buildings for damage.

One man killed and nine injured after 5.8 Richter earthquake shakes Crete

One man was killed and nine were injured after a 5.8 Richter earthquake shook the island of Crete, at 09.17 on Monday morning.

Α worker was pulled out dead from the ruins of the church of Profitis Ilias, outside the village of Arkalochori in Heraklion, Crete, after the roof collapsed on him.

His body was picked up by a National Emergency Care Service (EKAB) ambulance and transferred to a hospital.

Another worker in the same church was freed from the rubble unharmed by the rescue workers.

Meanwhile, another citizen in the village of Patsideros, who was trapped inside his house, was rescued as he could not open the door due to the damage after the earthquake.

The one person that was killed and the eight people injured during the 5.8 Richter earthquake in the region of Heraklion, Crete on Monday were transferred to Venizelio Hospital on the island.
Only one of those injured has sustained multiple injuries, two have broken bones and the other five have cuts and abrasions.

There has been significant damage to the water supply system and buildings, in the wider administrative district of Archanes Asterousia on the island of Crete, Archanes Mayor Manolis Kokosalis reported.

Schools have been evacuated, while an inspection has already begun on the condition of the school buildings. All the authorities are on alert, focusing on the area of Arkalochori where there has been significant damage and churches have collapsed.

The quake’s epicentre was located 23 km northwest of Arvi and its focal depth was 10 km, the Geodynamics Institute of National Observatory of Athens said. A series of afteshocks continue to shake the island.

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianides and the president of anti-seismic planning and protection organisation Efthymios Lekkas arrived in Arkalochori, Crete on Monday, after the 5.8 Richter quake in the area. Both took part in a meeting of the coordinating body set up to address the situation in the wider area.
The emergency general plan against earthquakes “Engelados” of the civil protection general secretariat has been set in motion from the first moment at Stylianides’ orders.
Also in the same area are Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas , the general secretary for civil protection Vassilis Papageorgiou and the general director for coordination Phoebos Theodorou.

Thirty rescue workers from the Greek fire brigade’s 1st and 2nd Special Units for Disasters (EMAK), with rescue equipment that included trained dogs and drones, departed for Crete in a C130 and an ATR aircraft on Monday. They will assist in efforts to rescue any persons that may be trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings.

In addition, EMAK teams throughout the country are on standby as part of the civil protection service’s earthquake response plan.

A number of calls made by residents of Crete to the civil defence operations centre are being investigated.

Fire brigade teams are patrolling the areas where the earthquake struck, while the fire brigade has urged the public to exercise great caution and follow the instructions of the authorities at all times.

Source: amna.gr