Galery

1

Yesterday's earthquake on the island of Limnos caused the destruction of 11 uninhabited houses, light damage to another 13 properties, of which two churches, and cracks in the walls of three schools in which the elections will be held.

As announced yesterday afternoon, a meeting was convened on the island for the assessment of the damage. It was attended by Interior Minister Yiannis Michelakis, chief secretary of civil protection Patroklos Georgiadis, and chief of the fire-fighting service general Vassilios Papageorgiou, as well as by representatives of the police, the army and the local government.

According to initial estimates, the infrastructure and roads have not been damaged. A group of 14 engineers who will inspect buildings arrived on Limnos.

Yiannis Michelakis

After the meeting, the Minister answered questions and confirmed the damage to 13 properties and 2 uninhabited houses. He confirmed the arrival of 14 engineers from the Organization of school buildings and the Service repairing damage from earthquakes in order to describe the damage and what will be needed for them to be repaired.

According to Michelakis, "The hospital has suffered no damage. There was a small problem with the electricity, but it was restored; there are no problems in the infrastructure of the island, or in the water or electricity supply. There is no information about damage on the road network. There was a small problem at the airport with the ceiling from which pieces fell and injured a British tourist who was leaving for home. Her husband was a doctor and signed documents, so they left without a problem."

The Museum

As Michelakis added, "there is damage to the museum, some exhibits fell and broke, and we want to see what is going on with the fortress. Engineers from the Ministry of Culture will come to see what the situation is. The district administration has provided the opportunity to lodge people, whose houses had been damaged, in hotels, but so far there are no such requests. I would like to say that the police and the fire-fighting service are on full alert. People are calm, there are no problems. Fortunately, it was a strong earthquake with minor damage."

Patroklos Georgiadis

The Secretary General of the Civil Protection Department said: "Civil protection services of Limnos were activated from the first moment. The Civil Protection Plan is being applied. Two Civil protection helicopters have been provided; civil protection services and the police are on full alert with all the patrol cars which are available. Therefore, people can feel safe and protected."