Quake fears force Greek villages to evacuate

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Authorities evacuated three villages in southwestern Greece Monday after seismologists warned a strong aftershock was expected in areas where a powerful earthquake killed two people and injured more than 200.

The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, struck Sunday afternoon near the western port city of Patras, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) west of Athens, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said.

It flattened or severely damaged about 200 houses in the provinces of Ahaia and Ilia, and left more than 800 others with lighter damage and cracks, state NET television said. The quake also damaged the air traffic control tower at a nearby military airport.

In Patras, harbor buildings were damaged and authorities evacuated five apartment buildings that suffered severe cracks.

Dozens of aftershocks have rattled the area in the hours since the quake, but all have been relatively small, with preliminary magnitudes below 4.7, the Geodynamic Institute said.

But a strong aftershock of a magnitude of about 5 or 5.5 is still expected in the coming days or possibly weeks, seismologist Giannis Kalogeras said.`

By late Monday, 230 people had sought medical treatment for injuries sustained during the quake, NET television said. More than 20 remained hospitalized.

In the small mountain village of Santomeri, farmer Nikos Dimopoulos' house was demolished by a 4-meter (13-foot) boulder that crashed down the hillside.

"I have nowhere to stay," said Dimopoulos, 72, who was tending his sheep when the quake struck. "I'll spend the night in my stable."

Authorities started to evacuate Santomeri and two more villages late Monday for fear of further rock falls prompted by aftershocks.

Officials said a preliminary survey showed the major archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, was undamaged. In the small museum of Ancient Elis, near the epicenter, 50 vases and two stone inscriptions were damaged, the Culture Ministry said.

The government said it would pay for the reconstruction of destroyed homes and pledged up to €13,000 ($20,000) in state aid to those whose homes suffered severe damage.

The announcements followed an emergency Cabinet meeting in Athens chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who cut short a visit to Austria.

Many of the affected areas were at the heart of last August's devastating forest fires, which killed 66 people and burnt hundreds of homes.

Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos toured the quake-damaged region Monday.

The Patras area is one of the most earthquake-prone in Greece, which is among the world's most seismically active regions. In 1999, a magnitude 5.9 quake near Athens killed 143 people.

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