Kastoria

A powerful explosion destroyed a hotel in Kastoria, northern Greece, early Thursday morning. No injuries have so far been reported.

The blast, which occurred at 1.30 a.m., brought down the three-storied building, scattering fragments of glass and metal objects in a radius of at least 80 meters.

A woman walks along a snow-covered street in Chortiatis, near Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Friday. The Leandros cold front arrived on Friday, bringing heavy snowfall mainly to the northern regions of the country and a significant drop in temperatures nationwide. The frosty weather will continue Saturday, with the snow expected to continue unabated, even in Attica.

The Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria, Seraphim, died from complications caused by Covid-19 at the age of 61 on Tuesday, becoming the second senior Greek cleric to succumb to the virus.

Seraphim tested positive in early December but as his health deteriorated, he was admitted to the 424 General Military Hospital of Thessaloniki, where he was intubated on December 20.

A 68-year-old woman died in northern Greece on Monday from complications related to Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 114, according to media reports.

The victim was from the northern town of Kastoria and was being treated at the intensive care unit of Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki.

Reports said she had an underlying illness.

Greek authorities lifted on Monday the strict restrictions on movement for two mountainous villages in western Macedonia which had been placed on lockdown since March 16 due to a cluster of coronavirus deaths and infections.

Two more deaths since the government's last update on Wednesday evening brought the coronavirus toll in Greece to 52 on Thursday.

The first case was that of a 51-year-old man from the northern town of Kastoria who died in a hospital in Thessaloniki late on Wednesday. The father of four was the seventh person from Kastoria to succumb to the disease/

A 51-year-old man became the seventh resident of the northern Greek town of Kastoria to die after contracting the novel coronavirus.

According to Greek media, the father of four was being treated at the Giorgos Papanikolaou General Hospital in the northern port city of Thessaloniki and had underlying health problems that contributed to his death.

Five municipalities in northern Greece will be placed in lockdown as of Tuesday night, Civil Protection Deputy Minister for Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias has announced.

These are the municipal area of Mesopotamia in Kastoria, Orestida, Nestorio, Xanthi and Myki.

The number of reported deaths from coronavirus in Greece rose to 41 on Monday.  

The new deaths include that of a 55-year-old man from Kastoria, who had been intensive care in Thessaloniki's Ippokrateio Hospital and a 76-year-old woman on Lesvos.

Two villages in western Macedonia were quarantined on Monday where authorities have recorded in the past few days three deaths from the new coronavirus and more than 10 infections, according to the General Secretariat of Civil Protection.

The villages, Damaskinia and Dragasia, are located between the towns of Kozani and Kastoria.