GREECE: End of Amogiana

Fortnight ago there were approximately 500 islands in the Greek archipelago. Last week there was one less. For one horrible week a series of earthquakes twitched the peninsula of Chalcidice like a serpent’s tail. Among the grey olives and high rocky goat pastures, the white villages of lerissos,Nea Rhoda. Stratonion, Yomatia and Stayira tumbled in ruins. Incomplete counts listed 338 dead and hundreds more injured. While their homes crashed about their heads, the earth shook and the grey Aegean crashed savagely against the shore, 200 frightened families clambered into fishing boats and put out for the rocky little island of Amogiana. It was a bad choice. At the next quake Amogiana sank beneath their feet. The Greek navy was mobilized to help. The Red Cross rushed supplies. From London, the Admiralty flashed Malta and Corfu to send all available British warships to the quake area to help relief work. British gunners then had a fine time shelling down the ruins.