Family and friends farewell the two teenagers killed in Samos earthquake

Large crowds gathered in Samos on Sunday to bid farewell to two teenagers who were tragically killed after a wall collapsed during a powerful earthquake that struck just to the north of the Aegean island on Friday.

High school sweethearts, 17-year-old Aris and 15-year-old Claire, were killed while on their way home from school.

“Hug your children, time does not come back. Live every moment. This is our message. Time does not come back. Hug all your children. Love them all,” Claire's mum said before the funeral.

The powerful earthquake measuring 6.6 to 6.7 on the Richer scale, caused widespread damage and death in Greece and Turkey.

“Two lives were lost in two seconds. Death was instantaneous,” Aris’ father said.

“Aris embraced Claire to protect her but they did not have time to react. Everything happened within five seconds," he continued.

"Good souls remain free forever and will always seek seas and skies to conquer," Aris' school teacher said.

According to Akis Tselentis, director of the capital’s Geodynamic Institute, following the Samos quake, strong aftershocks will last for weeks.

“It is a known fault, which can produce earthquakes up to this magnitude,” Tselentis said, adding that the coming weeks are crucial in terms of “the evolution of the post-seismic sequence.”

“We must be prepared for strong aftershocks,” he continued.