Repair work on the shelter roof over the Akrotiri archaeological site on the island of Santorini is expected to start in three months, two years after the site was shut down due to a fatal accident.

Sources said yesterday that work on the roof which collapsed in September 2005 and killed a British tourist is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.

“I believe that (the work) is moving in the right direction. The architectural and bioclimatic design is not being changed by the study,” architect Nikos Fintikakis, who designed the roof, told Kathimerini.

A huge steel roof covering the ancient Minoan city caved in when workers were watering soil laid on it, killing a 46-year-old man and injuring six others.

The prehistoric town of Aktrotiri was one of the chief urban centers in the Aegean until its destruction in a huge volcanic blast in the 17th century BC.

The site, a major tourist attraction for the popular island, has been shut since the accident after continual delays to repair the damage.

Ministry sources had said last year that the repair work will be complete by October, 2007.

“They are repairing and boosting the roof. This helps improve its static strength. It needs time,” added Fintikakis.

However, the long chain of time-consuming procedures has not yet been completed as plans still need to be approved by one more expert.

A leading expert from Imperial College London will be called on to approve the plans, sources added.

The Culture Ministry was examining taking over responsibility for the project from the Archaeology Association in a bid to help speed up the process; however, the necessary legislation needed for the changeover was not passed due to the elections.