Norwegian charter tourists on their way to quake-hit Kos

Cracks are seen on the facade of a church after an earthquake in Kos on the island of Kos, Greece Friday, July 21, 2017. Greek authorities said two tourists killed in the overnight quake are from Turkey and Sweden.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Norwegian charter tourists on their way to quake-hit Kos

The situation has calmed down for most Norwegian charter tourists on the Greek island of Kos, according to travel agencies. Several more Norwegians come to the island on Friday.

 

Charter flights from the tour companies Tui, Ving and Apollo arrive at the island with more Norwegians during the day, NTB is informed. They have not received any requests from Norwegians who want to drop the holiday trip.

– We have departures from Bergen and Oslo. We have received some inquiries from people who wonder if it’s safe to go, and that is what Christine Hafnor says in Apollo, which has nearly 650 guests on the island.

She states that one of the hotels in Kos Town, St Constantine, has suffered minor damage. This is now being investigated by the authorities, who will decide if the hotel is habitable. If not, 39 of Apollo’s guests will be offered another hotel, according to Hafnor.

Tui and Ving say that their hotels seem to be alright. None of the three tour operators have been notified that any of their guests are injured.

– Most of the guests are back at the hotels. There are some hotels that you want to double check to be 100 percent safe, but none of our hotels are so damaged that you can not use them, says Tonje Lokka’s Fossum in Ving, NTB Friday morning.

Fossum has not been notified of tourists who want to cancel the trip Friday, or that someone there who wants to cancel the holiday.

– According to the current situation, we do not have the opportunity to help bring people home ahead of time, she says.

Two tourists dead, Norwegian critically injured

Nora Aspengren, communications officer at Tui, says that all their guests are safe and sound.

– We are continuously following the situation and are in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local authorities. It looks like it’s calmed down, she says, adding that their employees are on site to help anyone who may have questions.

– It’s mostly talk of people who wonder what has happened, she says.

The Aspengren encourages all the guests of Kos to call the family home and tell them they are doing well.

Two tourists; A Swede and a Turk are reported dead after the roof of a bar collapsed. One Norwegian tourist is sent to hospital with critical injuries. More than 200 people are reported with various degrees of injury.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today