Fast-track plan to repair port on Kos after quake

The government has announced a fast-track tender for the repair of the main port on Kos, which was struck by a strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake last Friday that killed two people and caused widespread damage.

The aim is to get the Dodecanese island's main port operational again by mid-August, according to the general secretary of the Infrastructure Ministry, Giorgos Dedes. "We decided that, in the first phase, we will repair one section of the port - the one with less damage - so that vessels can dock and connections and supplies can resume," he said. The Finance Ministry has approved the release of 400,000 euros for that job, Dedes added.

Meanwhile state engineers continued their inspections of buildings on the island. Schools, hospitals and other government buildings have not been damaged, Dedes said.