Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-25

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] 41 dead from wildfires, PM Karamanlis cites 'nat'l tragedy'

[02] Latest wildfire above greater Athens;

[01] 41 dead from wildfires, PM Karamanlis cites 'nat'l tragedy'

The biggest problem was reported in Ilia prefecture of the western Peloponnese, facing the Ionian Sea, where the area surrounding the Zaharo township was literally scorched. Thirty-one deaths were reported from this area alone, as most villages were evacuated, although numerous residents in the Zaharo township remain trapped there, authorities said.

Other major wildfires were still raging on the western slopes of Mt. Taygetus, further south, as well as off Mt. Parnonas, in central Arcadia prefecture, all in the Peloponnese, where three major wildfire fronts alone erupted on Thursday and Friday. The fire brigade on Friday reported scores of wildfires, most dubbed 'suspicious' throughout Greece, including one in the Corinth area that erupted after fire engines and fire-fighters were dispatched to other blazes.

Efforts were also being made to evacuate a handful of villages near the Arcadia prefecture, central Peloponnese, town of Megalopoli, with the town itself threatened.

Karamanlis

Following an emergency meeting in Sparta, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis referred to a "national day of mourning" and a "national tragedy".

"Today is a day of national mourning; since yesterday we are experiencing a national tragedy. I would like to express my deep-felt grief for the lost lives and my sincere condolences to the families mourning their loved ones," Karamanlis said, adding that the state is mobilising all its forces to extinguish the fires.

"This hour demands responsibility, sacrifice. This an hour of battle. Once again, I would like to stress that all Greeks support and trust the people fighting to end this nightmare," the primer minister said.

After the emergency meeting in Sparta, Karamanlis was returning to Athens for a noon meeting of high-ranking government officials to deal with the catastrophe. The premier also spoke by phone with President Karolos Papoulias, who is also headed to the Peloponnese.

Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou also arrived in the Zaharo area in the morning, where he was briefed by local officials on the extent of the destruction.

Caption: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (C) arrives in fire-ravaged Zaharo, western Greece, in the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007. ANA-MPA / G. ANTONIOU.

[02] Latest wildfire above greater Athens;

Dense smoke was seen over east Athens due to the blaze, as helicopters and fire-fighting planes dumped water on the wildfire. Ground teams were also redirected from other fires to the site amid report of blazes erupting in other northern Athens suburbs as well, including on Mt. Penteli -- the scene of a destructive fire nearly two weeks ago -- and at an eastern Attica juncture, the Stavros intersection.

Additionally, parts of the Styra district in southern Evia island were being evacuated on Saturday as well, as a large wildfire was burning in the area, roughly the same area where a destructive wildfire erupted in mid July.

Caption: A file photo shows a view of fire-fighting efforts at the Karea site on Mt. Hymettus on July 16, 2007. ANA-MPA / P. SAITAS.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article