Space Travel News  
FIRE STORM
Two more bodies found at sea after Greek wildfires
By H�l�ne COLLIOPOULOU
Athens (AFP) July 31, 2018

The bodies of two people thought to have fled into the sea to escape the wildfires that ravaged coastal towns near Athens last week have been recovered, port police said Tuesday.

Confirmation that the pair were victims of the fire would bring the disaster's death toll to at least 93.

Police have now recovered eight bodies from the sea off a string of popular coastal communities that were devastated by the fires that broke out on July 23.

The fires burned with such ferocity that most people fled to the safety of the sea with just the clothes on their backs. Many then had to wait several hours in the water for help to arrive.

It was local fishermen, not the coastguard or navy, who first came to their aid.

A merchant marine official told AFP that the search for further victims was continuing.

The rightwing and centrist opposition accuse the government of bungling its response in an area frequently hit by wildfires, and of trying to hide the scale of the loss of human life as the disaster unfolded.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he assumed "political responsibility" for the tragedy but rejected accusations of a botched response.

Government officials have insisted that with winds blowing at speeds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, there was little time to mount an effective evacuation.

Tsipras visited the scene on Monday without informing the press, in what local media said was a bid to avoid protests by residents, while the opposition conservative New Democracy party said he toured the area in secret "like a thief".

"If the prime minister had chosen to be accompanied by cameras, you would have accused us of staging a PR stunt," government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos responded.

- Athens vigil -

The Athens observatory on Monday said the fire had burned an estimated 1,260 hectares (3,100 acres).

The government has offered emergency assistance of 5,000 euros ($5,800) to survivors. Relatives of those killed will receive 10,000 euros, while minors who lost their parents are to receive a monthly stipend of 1,000 euros, he said.

On Monday evening, several hundred people held a candlelight vigil for the dead and missing in central Athens' Syntagma square outside parliament.

"We have to mobilise for the dead. The state is non-existent in Greece," said Anastasios Giorgiakoupoulos, one of the participants. "It does not protect its citizens and that can't continue any longer."


Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FIRE STORM
'Serious' signs arson started deadly Greek wildfire
Athens (AFP) July 26, 2018
Greece's government said on Thursday there were "serious" indications the fire in which most of the 82 people who perished in the country's worst ever wildfires died may have been started deliberately. "A serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation" into possible "criminal acts" behind the starting of the fire on Monday that ravaged the coastal region of Mati east of Athens, Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said. He said authorities were also examining whet ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FIRE STORM
FIRE STORM
'Storm Chasers' on Mars Searching for Dusty Secrets

Liquid water lake discovered on Mars

Mars Passes Closest to Earth Since 2003 on July 31st

Space experts worry US won't make it to Mars by 2030s

FIRE STORM
Israel plans its first moon launch in December

The toxic side of the Moon

Waystation to the Solar System

Queqiao satellite the bridge to China's lunar exploration

FIRE STORM
'Ribbon' wraps up mystery of Jupiter's magnetic equator

The True Colors of Pluto and Charon

Radiation Maps of Jupiter's Moon Europa: Key to Future Missions

Dozen new Jupiter moons declared

FIRE STORM
How Can You Tell If That ET Story Is Real

WSU researcher sees possibility of moon life

X-ray Data May Be First Evidence of a Star Devouring a Planet

Glowing bacteria on deep-sea fish shed light on evolution, 'third type' of symbiosis

FIRE STORM
Latest Blue Origin Launch Tests Technologies of Interest to Space Exploration

Russia's Khrunichev Center Develops Concept of Reusable Rocket

Roscosmos' Research Center's Staff Suspected of Leaking Data Abroad

Sustained hypersonic flight-enabling technology patent granted to Advanced Rockets Corporation

FIRE STORM
PRSS-1 Satellite in Good Condition

China readying for space station era: Yang Liwei

China launches new space science program

China Rising as Major Space Power

FIRE STORM
China Focus: Capture an asteroid, bring it back to Earth?

Twenty Years of Planetary Defense

NASA's Dawn spacecraft focused on Ceres as it nears end of mission

Observatories Team Up to Reveal Rare Double Asteroid









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.