Greek wildfire now believed to be arson
THERE are ‘serious indications’ the wildfire near Athens that killed at least 85 people was set deliberately, authorities in Greece have said.
Public order minister Nikos Toskas said satellite image analysis and ground inspections suggest the fire, which broke out in multiple places in a short time frame on Monday, likely resulted from arson.
Some 60 people are still being treated in hospital – 11 in intensive care. Dozens more are missing. The worst affected area was the seaside community of Mati, where the majority of victims were found, including 26 people found huddled together, many embracing.
Defence minister Panos Kammenos visited the area yesterday morning and was heckled by distraught men and women, who accused the authorities of not doing enough in the initial hours of the fire. ‘People died for nothing,’ one woman sobbed at the minister.
Rescue crews and volunteers are continuing to search on land and at sea for potential further victims. Meanwhile, frantic relatives looking for missing loved ones have been heading to the morgue in Athens.
Those arriving there were informed of the necessary steps to match the missing and the dead, including providing DNA samples and dental records.
Maria Saridou arrived at the morgue yesterday accompanied by her son to provide DNA samples.
They were looking for Ms Saridou’s 55-yearold sister, Eleni, who had gone swimming with a friend in Mati.
‘We found her car, it wasn’t burnt, nor was the house,’ said 60-year-old Ms Saridou.
‘It’s just that we can’t find her. I believe she’s alive... nobody knows where she went.’
The friend her sister had gone swimming with survived with light burns to the foot, Ms Saridou said, but they became separated in the chaos of the fire.
‘We just want to find her,’ said Ms Saridou’s 25-year-old son Asot Kostoyan.