Ierapetra

The port authority is set to acquire 11 boats that will be used to transfer patients from islands to hospitals, under an agreement signed on Monday between Maritime Affairs and Island Policy Minister Christos Stylianides and the Greek subsidiary of a Danish maritime safety equipment manufacturer.

Authorities across the country remain on alert after 71 wildfires were reported nationwide in the space of just 12 hours on Saturday.

The biggest of the fires, on Crete, forced dozens to flee their homes.

A man was being treated for burns and breathing problems in a hospital in Crete as a wildfire raged out of control in the eastern part o the island on Saturday.

After the Court of First Instance of Lasithi on the island of Crete temporarily halted the demolition of unauthorized constructions on the beaches of Elounda, the Police Directorate of Lasithi has now granted a tacit postponement to the demolitions in Ierapetra.

Concerns have allegedly been raised by law enforcement about the potential for these demolitions to incite social turmoil.

The Hellenic Fire Service has responded to a blaze that broke out near the town of Ierapetra on the island of Crete on Monday. Specifically, there are currently 43 firefighters and 12 vehicles on scene to tackle the fire.

The HFS also responded to another fire on the island earlier on Monday, close to the city of Irakleio, with eight firefighters and three vehicles.

Seismologists reported two moderate quakes on Wednesday, though there were no reports of any injuries or damage.
The first temblor, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, struck the seabed off the island of Kastellorizo at 8.20 a.m., according to the National Observatory of Athens' Geodynamic Institute.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 87 kilometers south of Ierapetra on the island of Crete on Wednesday at 4.09 a.m., according to the National Observatory of Athens' Geodynamic Institute.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 5 and occurred at a depth of 13.97 kilometers.

An earthquake struck south of the Greek island of Crete on May 2, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

The magnitude 5.9 quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), EMSC said. The center first reported the quake at a strong 6.5 magnitude.

A strong earthquake struck south of the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The magnitude 5.9 quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), EMSC said.

A 40-meter-long vessel sank off the coast of southern Crete to a depth of at least 1,000 meters on Saturday.

The Malpas vessel was allegedly carrying what authorities believe was a suspicious cargo.

Its five crew members - all Syrian nationals - were rescued by port authorities and were reportedly in good health.