Greek Earthquake Leaves Welsh Passengers Stranded

Approximately 50 Welsh holidaymakers caught in the Greek earthquake yesterday have found themselves stranded at the airport on the island of Kefalonia after two people were killed and over 90 injured in a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.

The quake's epicentre was near the port of Patras which is located 120 miles west from Athens and occured at approximately 3.25pm yesterday. As a result of the quake flights were delayed at the airport due to damage that had occured to the communications equipment. The passengers are due to arrive back at Bristol Airport in the early hours of the morning as the airport authorities hoped the airport would be back to full operating capacity.

The damage in some areas of the country was quite severe with one man being killed by a roof falling on him and more worry due to the possibility of aftershocks. Greece is one of the worlds most prolific for earthquakes, the most serious recent one being a 5.9 magnitude quake that killed 143 people close to Athens in 1999.

Published by: Jon Vickery