ATHENS, Greece -- As rescue workers hacked slowly through mounds of rubble, the death toll from one of the worst quakes to hit Athens this century climbed past 50 Wednesday.
With about 80 people missing in collapsed buildings, crews intensified their efforts to find survivors a day after a magnitude 5.9 quake ripped through the capital's northern suburbs.In central Athens, there was very minor damage to the Acropolis, with some small chunks of rock falling off a gate and one of the Parthenon's columns, Culture Ministry officials said. But Greece's best-known tourist attraction remained open.
The quake also broke pottery at the National Archaeological Museum, which will be closed for three days while officials assess damage. The towering columns of the Temple of Zeus were spared any harm.
About 500 engineers fanned out through the hardest-hit area Wednesday morning. Rescue efforts could be hampered by rain, which was forecast.
At least 53 people, including 14 children, were killed, fire officials said. They said rescue crews had found 160 survivors by early Wednesday, but officials feared the death toll could reach 80.
Thousands of Athenians, fearing a new quake, camped out in city parks as aftershocks rumbled through the night. Many reportedly stayed away from work today.
There were more than 700 aftershocks, including eight over magnitude 4 and a midnight jolt that registered magnitude 4.7. Experts said the strong aftershocks were an indication that the energy built up along the fault line was abating to safe levels.