Kos mayor asks gov't for earthquake reconstruction funds

The mayor of Kos, Giorgos Kyritsis, on Wednesday, called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis to start the process of granting compensation to homeowners and businesses that suffered losses when a strong quake, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, struck the Dodecanese island last month.

"We are not asking for favors or special treatment. We are just asking for the self-evident," the mayor said. Noting that the island has already struggled for the past two years due to the impact of the refugee crisis on the crucial tourism sector, Kyritsis called for immediate action to be taken to subsidize families whose homes were deemed uninhabitable due to damage sustained during the quake and businesses that were forced to suspend their operations.