Life on Kos returns to normal two days after the deadly earthquake and several aftershocks that keep seismologists and the authorities on alert.
Two aftershocks hit the Greek island of Kos on Saturday night, just a day after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake killed two people and injured nearly 500 others, two of them in critical condition.
The first aftershock, of 4.4 magnitude, hit the island about 8 p.m. and was followed 16 minutes later by a 4.6 magnitude tremor, the Athens Geodynamics Institute reported.
The island airport is operating normally and all domestic and international flights are being carried out.
The main port on the island of Kos, which was damaged in Friday’s earthquake, will be temporarily repaired with a cement ramp that will allow ferry boats to dock, authorities announced on Saturday evening.
The port, a large section of which subsided following the quake, was thoroughly inspected by port facilities’ experts and divers on Saturday and found to be in better shape than originally feared.
The cement ramp, whose construction will begin within the next few days and be supervised by Infrastructure Ministry General Secretary Giorgos Dedes, will be a temporary fix. Decisions on a more permanent repair of the port’s facilities will be made later.
For the time being, ferry connections between the Dodecanese islands and the ferry connection to Turkey are docking at the PPC pier, while the large car and truck ferries linking Kos with Piraeus are docking at the harbours in Kefalos and Mastichari.
KTEL long-distance buses will be used to carry passengers to and from Kos port.
Regarding connection with the Turkish shores, this has been restored as well as the Schengen Zone checkpoint through another alternative jetty near the main port.
For tourists, life on the island is as desired and many of them continue their holidays, and return to beaches unobstructed by the rubble and the campouts.
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