State of emergency declared in three areas of central Greece

Civil protection authorities on Friday declared a state of emergency in Tyrnavos and Potamia in the region of Larissa and in Farkadona in neighboring Trikala in the wake of two powerful earthquakes in central Greece in as many days.

The state of emergency will be in force for six months and will entitle residents and the municipal authorities to assistance in manpower and funding to restore the damage to hundreds of homes and business, as well as to parts of the road and water networks.

The area was slammed by a 6.3-magnitude quake (revised upwards from 6 Richter) on Wednesday morning followed by another 5.9-Richter tremor on Thursday evening.

Speaking on Skai TV on Friday, seismologist Gerassimos Papadopoulos from the Institute of Geodynamics at National Observatory of Athens, said that while it is rare phenomenon, both quakes came from different sections of the same fault.