News and Events Lesbos hit by earthquake, Greek government declares emergency
Lesbos hit by earthquake, Greek government declares emergency
The eastern Greek island of Lesbos was hit on Monday by an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 which damaged a lot of the homes on the island. So far there is one killed woman and at least 10 injured people.
The epicentre according to the Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management was at a shallow depth of 7 kilometres. The earthquake accrued at 3:28 p.m (12:28 GMT) and at least 24 aftershocks were recorded after it. The earthquake was felt in parts of Turkey all the way to Istanbul and some islands. The tremor was felt even in the province of Izmir, but there are no reported injuries there.
The village of Vrisa was the worst-hit by the earthquake. The epicentre was under the sea near the village. A lady was found dead after the quake and at least 10 people were injured, many of the roads were blocked by rubble.
The earthquake from Monday caused a lot of damage to a lot of the houses in Vrisa. The rescuers pulled out a lot of people under the ruins of their homes. The residents of the village were relocated to temporary housing in a football field near it. The people were carrying their belongings in their arms and trying to find their loved ones to make sure they are well and alive.
The authorities report that there are no other reports of trapped, missing or injured people for this moment. The governor of Greece’s north Aegean region said on tv: “We are using all the resources we have to help the people in southern Lesbos.” Christiana Kalogirou added: “"The army is also helping, and will provide tents for people remaining outside their homes."
The senior seismologist is asking all residents in the affected areas of Lesbos to not go back to their homes until the authorities have expected every place and are sure there is no longer treat to their lives. Some homes in the village of Plomari are also damaged and rodes are closed. The damages are not so severe on the nearby islands.
Earthquakes are something normal for Turkey and Greece, but no matter how prepared people are, they can always be surprised by a disaster like this one. It’s almost unpredictable and with great consciences. Those two countries are on the active fault lines and they are prepared for earthquakes. In 1999 Turkey was hit by two devastating earthquakes which took the lives of around 18 000 people.
Even though this part of the world has frequently earthquakes it is difficult for people to get used to them. More aftershocks are to be expected and it is best if the residents of those regions stay cautious and not go back to their home yet.
An earthquake like that is always a big reminder how powerful out planet is and it’s a reminder to be more careful with everything we do.