Greece: One dead after earthquake hits island of Crete
September 27, 2021
Some buildings sustained significant damage after a strong earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete. At least one person died and nine were injured as buildings collapsed.
Firefighters look for people in the rubble of a demolished churchImage: Stefanos Rapanis/REUTERS
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A strong earthquake rattled the Greek island of Crete on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring nine others.
Two people were initially trapped in damaged buildings in the village of Arkalochori, according to officials.
Students and their teachers are seen at a square following an earthquake in Heraklion, on the island of CreteImage: Stefanos Rapanis/REUTERS
What we know so far
Panicked residents came rushing out of their homes and buildings, as several structures were damaged by the earthquake, authorities said.
Two churches and other old stone buildings in Arkalochori had been damaged, the mayor of the farming town told Greek Skai TV.
A man died when the dome of a church in Arkalochori caved in during renovation works, the civil protection agency said.
The town was particularly badly hit, said Spiros Georgiou, spokesman for the civil protection agency.
Children evacuated
In the capital of Heraklion, children were evacuated from schools which were later inspected for structural damages.
The city's mayor, Vassilis Lambrinos, also told Skai that emergency services did not report any injuries or severe damage.
"It felt quite strong and lasted many seconds," Lambrinos said.
Initially, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said it was 6.0.
The EMSC added that it had a depth of 2 kilometers (1.24 miles).
The institute in Athens said the quake struck at about 9:17 am local time, with an epicenter 246 kilometers southeast of the Greek capital.
Several aftershocks also struck the area. The strongest one had an initial magnitude of 4.6, according to the EMSC.
Greece: Massive fire breaks out at Samos migrant camp
A major fire broke out at a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos, a day before the last residents were due to be moved to a new facility.
Image: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP
Raging flames
A major fire forced the last residents of a migrant camp in Greece to evacuate on Sunday night as it raced through makeshift tents. About 300 people were still living in the Vathy camp on the island of Samos. They were due to be transferred to a new, less crowded facility starting on Monday.
Image: Michael Svarnias/AP Photo/picture alliance
Squalid conditions
Samos is one of the islands in the Aegean Sea where asylum-seekers often arrive when they set out from Turkey to try and reach Europe. In Vathy, they lived in squalid conditions. At its peak, the camp, built for 680 people, held more than 10 times that number.
Image: Louisa Gouliamaki/Getty Images/AFP
Successful evacuation
The migrants who were still awaiting transfer the night of the fire had to move to an empty area near the camp entrance, while 10 unaccompanied minors were already taken to the new facility on Sunday.
Image: Michael Svarnias/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Moving to high-security facilities
Their destination, a closed, high-security camp, was inaugurated just last week. It is the first of five EU-funded facilities in Greece to use surveillance cameras, magnetic entry cards and X-ray scanners. Residents will also have a curfew of 8 p.m.
Image: Alkis Konstantinidis/REUTERS
Rights groups criticize prisonlike conditions
The EU has invested €276 million ($323 million) in these camps, but rights groups have criticized the new facilities for being too restrictive. "For those who have survived torture, the new highly controlled center means not only the loss of freedom but reliving past traumatic experiences," a Doctors Without Borders psychologist said in a statement.
Image: Socrates Baltagiannis/dpa/picture alliance
Security checks for all
The facility officially opened its doors to new residents on Monday. Before they entered, security personnel checked them for weapons and dangerous objects.
Image: Louisa Gouliamaki/Getty Images/AFP
First of 5 high-security camps
The facility in Samos is a pilot for the closed migrant camps in Greece. More high-security facilities will follow on the Greek islands of Leros, Lesbos, Kos and Chios, where migrants still live in overcrowded tent camps.
