Greece yesterday offered the Philippines 300,000 euros to help with emergency relief after a massive landslide in the center of the country, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis sent her condolences to the families of the landslide victims in a letter to her Filipino counterpart Alberto Romulo, the ministry added. About 1,800 people were missing and feared dead after Friday’s mudslide virtually wiped away the farming village of Guinsaugon on Leyte island, 670 kilometers southeast of Manila.

An immigrant drowned and five others were detained on the islet of Oinousses, close to Chios, after their inflatable dinghy sunk 30 meters from shore, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. The 25-year-old Afghan national did not know how to swim and his compatriots were unable to help him, the ministry added. A patrol boat later found the man’s body about 300 meters from shore. The five survivors told police they had set off from the Turkish coast to cross into Greece.

An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale shook Evia island yesterday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage, authorities said. The tremor struck an undersea area off the northern Evia coast at 7.36 a.m.

Police said yesterday they found an 81-year-old man murdered in Kastoria, northern Greece. The victim’s relatives notified police he had been missing for several days. Police then broke through his apartment door and found him dead with a fatal head injury.

Four people were arrested in Kastoria, northern Greece, on Saturday accused of stealing more than 20,000 euros’ worth of fur coats. The four people, whose identity was not released, entered the store and pretended to be customers. They allegedly stole 23,700 euros’ worth of coats by distracting the sales staff but were detected by a nearby shopkeeper.

A fisherman working off the island of Alonnissos discovered the body of man, aged between 25-35, floating in the water, the coast guard said on Saturday. The body has been taken for autopsy to a hospital in Larissa, central Greece.

A memorial service was held yesterday at Grammatiko, north of Athens, the site where 121 people were killed on board a Helios Airways flight that crashed in August. The service, organized by the Federation of Cypriot Organizations in Greece (OKOE), was attended by representatives from the Cyprus Embassy, local officials and victims’ relatives.

Two people were rescued on Saturday after the glider in which they were traveling crashed into a gorge in Parnitha, northern Athens, police said. Rescue workers were able to reach the two people by airforce helicopter and airlifted them to safety.