Aftershocks continue to rattle Crete, Greece’s largest island, two days after a strong magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the island at 9.17am on Monday morning.
A construction worker was killed inside a church on the island while thousands of buildings of the island have incurred some damage, leaving many people homeless.
President of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand, Antonis Tsourdakalis, expressed his support towards the people of Crete.
“Cretan bodies of Oceania and the Cretan diaspora of the fifth continent are by the side of those struck by the earthquake and will support our compatriots in any way they ask us to,” said a statement from the Cretan group.
“We pray to the Almighty God to protect residents on the island, to keep them well and give them strength to deal with the current situation.”
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The quake’s epicentre was near the town of Arkalochori.
Aftershocks have been plentiful, including a new magnitude 4.6 aftershock at 6:13pm on Tuesday.
Its epicenter was 1 km south of Arkalochori, in the Minoas Pediada municipality at Heraklion.
Authorities have hoisted tents for people whose homes were deemed unsafe, while hotels were also made available to victims.
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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the areas of Choudetsi, at the municipality of Archanes Asterousia, and the town of Arkalochori, in Crete, on Tuesday, at the areas most affected by the earthquake. He surveyed the damage upon arrival to Greece from his official visit to France.
