Funerals begin for 86 victims of deadly wildfire near Athens

ATHENS — Funerals for victims of Greece’s lethal wildfire began Saturday, with the burial of an elderly priest who drowned as he sought safety from the flames in the sea off the Mati coastal resort.

Meanwhile, Greece’s public order minister continued to defend authorities’ response to Monday’s blaze that claimed the lives of at least 86 individuals, saying there was no way to evacuate so many people in the short span it took the flames to sweep through the area.

Hundreds attended Father Spyridon Papapostolou’s funeral in his parish of Halandri, a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens.

Papapostolou, his wife and daughter were among hundreds who entered the water to protect themselves from the fast-moving flames. But the 83-year-old cleric passed out and drowned. His wife and daughter survived.

“Father Spyridon was certainly ready for this trip, but not in this way, he didn’t deserve it,” the cleric’s niece Ifigenia Christodoulou told the Associated Press. “I hope that he prays for all us from up there, just as he has done all these years. He met a horrible end.”

Coroner Nikolaos Kalogrias said identification of remains continues at a steady pace. Greek authorities haven’t given an account of exactly how many people are still missing.

Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas said fire crews did all they could to save as many lives as possible, but that town planning errors created conditions that made it difficult for fire crews.

Costas Kantouris and Menelaos Hadjicostis are Associated Press writers.