Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-09-08

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 08/09/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Quake death toll at 53
• Gov't urges calm among the public
• Inquiry launched into buildings
• Turkish condolences
• Euro 2000 match postponed
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

The death toll in Tuesday's quake of magnitude 5.9 Richter is now 53, with 1,557 injured, 25 of them seriously. Work is continuing on trying to release people trapped in the rubble of fallen buildings. Some 118 people have been freed and an estimated 65 are still trapped. Turkish rescue teams arrived in Athens this morning to join the search for survivors; they are joined by Swiss and French teams.

Gov't urges calm among the public

The government on Wednesday called on Greeks not to fall prey to rumour- mongering, following intense rumours of an imminent major earthquake later in the day. Government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, speaking to reporters, said a seismology professor had denied that he predicted such an earthquake, as claimed by an Athens radio station earlier in the day. "The best defence against any such natural phenomenon is calm and self-restraint," he said. "I ask citizens to show calm, it is the best aid that they could offer." He welcomed the stance of the opposition, saying that it was "a healthy political example that in such crucial moments what prevails are the elements which unite and not divide us", adding that its stance had contributed to a feeling of safety and security.

Inquiry launched into buildings

Athens public prosecutor George Koliokostas ordered an "urgent inquiry" regarding the collapsed buildings, to establish whether there was any responsibility by engineers for poor construction. The Health and Welfare Ministry announced on Wednesday that it provided 2,625 tents and blankets to the inhabitants of the quake-stricken areas. Families which have become homeless will be granted by the ministry emergency aid of 200,000 drachmas for their immediate needs.

Turkish condolences

The Turkish Embassy in Athens in a press release on Wednesday expressed its "deepest sympathy and condolences" for the victims of the earthquake. "The fact that this eartquake occurred at a time when the government and the people of Greece were generously helping the victims of another tragedy in Turkey, makes our sorrow even more profound," the statement said.

Euro 2000 match postponed

Greek Soccer Federation officials said they would postpone a European championship soccer qualifier between Greece and Albania scheduled for Wednesday, following Tuesday's earthquake in Athens. Deputy Minister for Sports Andreas Fouras said all forms of competitive team sports had been postponed in the Attica region until Thursday pending checks on sporting facilities in the wake of the quake. Fouras had earlier spoken with his Albanian counterpart, who had agreed to a postponement.A later announcement from the federation said that the game would be played on October 6.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Monday's rates (buying)

(M.P.)

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