- Title: Strong quake hits Greece's biggest island of Crete, one person killed
- Date: 27th September 2021
- Summary: ARKALOCHORI, CRETE, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 27, 2021) (REUTERS) RUBBLE OF COLLAPSED CHURCH WORKERS WHEELBARROW BURIED IN RUBBLE COLLAPSED CHURCH FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES WORKING TO REMOVE MAN FROM THE CHURCH VARIOUS OF RESCUE SERVICES CARRYING DECEASED MAN ON STRETCHER COVERED IN BLANKET (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) CRETE SPECIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT UNITS RESCUE SERVICE CHIEF STAVROS KALOGIANNAKIS SAYING: "The side walls were still standing, (but) all of the roof had collapsed and the rubble was one metre high, so we believed, that hopes that the person would be alive were very few. With the help of heavy machinery we removed and emptied the rubble around and inside the church and reached the lifeless form of the unfortunate worker underneath." COLLAPSED REMAINS OF CHURCH SUN HAT BURIED IN RUBBLE OF CHURCH RUBBLE OF CHURCH RESCUE SERVICES ON SITE FIRE FIGHTERS ON SITE COLLAPSED CHURCH (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) CRETE SPECIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT UNITS RESCUE SERVICE CHIEF STAVROS KALOGIANNAKIS SAYING: "We will continue to be on alert throughout the day and where we are needed and our services are called to we will respond." WALLS DAMAGED AND BRICKS FROM WALLS FALLEN IN A SHOP IN TOWN BALCONY ABOVE SHOP, BRICKS AND TARP ON SHOP FALLEN SHATTERED GLASS FROM SHOP CRACKED WALL OF HOUSE FALLEN BRICKS, TILES, CEMENT SCATTERED ON STREETS OF TOWN VARIOUS OF CRACKS IN WALLS OF HOUSES AND BUILDINGS IN TOWN POLICE CAR DRIVING THROUGH TOWN VOICE ON MEGAPHONE SHOUTING: (Greek) "RESIDENTS TO GATHER AT THE SWIMMING CENTRE OR THE EXHIBITION CENTRE" VARIOUS OF BRICKS ON THE STREET FROM HOMES VARIOUS OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES BRINGING WATER AND SETTING UP TENTS AT THE LOCAL THEATRE FOR PEOPLE TO SPEND THE NIGHT VIEW OF ARKOLOCHORI TOWN AS SEEN FROM WHERE THE CHURCH COLLAPSED
- Embargoed: 11th October 2021 12:26
- Keywords: Crete Greece earthquake
- Location: CRETE, GREECE
- City: CRETE, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Europe,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami
- Reuters ID: LVA001EWHWX1J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A strong earthquake measuring 5.8 shook Greece's largest island Crete on Monday (September 27) and one person was killed when a church dome collapsed, authorities said.
The quake, which sent people onto the streets and caused damage to buildings, was described by a Greek seismologist as a "thunderbolt" with strong aftershocks.
A man died when the dome of a small church in the town of Arkalochori, some 30 kilometres south of the city of Heraklion, caved in during renovation works, a police official said. Many homes and buildings in the town's centre also suffered damages.
"The side walls were still standing, (but) all of the roof had collapsed and the rubble was one metre high, so we believed, that hopes that the person would be alive were very few. With the help of heavy machinery we removed and emptied the rubble around and inside the church and reached the lifeless form of the unfortunate worker underneath," said Crete's rescue service chief Stavros Kalogiannakis.
Civil protection authorities said nine people were injured in the quake. People in Heraklion rushed outdoors and schoolchildren gathered in school courtyards and town squares.
"We will continue to be on alert throughout the day," said Kalogiannakis.
The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake's magnitude reached 5.8 and its epicentre was 23 kilometres (14 miles) northwest of Arvi in south-eastern Crete, at a depth of 10 km.
Earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the earthquake measured 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.0.
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