November 05, 2024 16:12 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy booked for threatening cop probing into mining case | Supreme Court upholds validity of Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Act | Not all private properties are community resources that govt can take over: Supreme Court | Pakistan's Lahore has become world's most polluted city with an AQI of 1900 on Sunday | Indian Army 'successfully completes' patrolling to a key point in Ladakh's Depsang region
Greece wildfires: At least 74 killed, PM Tsipras declares three-day mourning

Greece wildfires: At least 74 killed, PM Tsipras declares three-day mourning

| @indiablooms | 25 Jul 2018, 06:09 am

Athens, July 25 (IBNS): Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared three days of mourning as at least 74 lives were lost in the ravaging wildfires, which hit several parts of the peninsular southern-eastern European nation.

Most of the deceased were either trapped inside their homes or vehicles as strong winds helped the fire to spread, thus aggravating the situation. The number of injured persons have breached the 500 mark.

According to reports, a search for survivors has been initiated by the government.

Reports also quoted Greece's Red Cross as saying that 26 more bodies of adults and children were found atop a cliff. The deceased were embracing each other at the time of their death.

"They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced," Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece's Red Cross told media.

Speaking about the magnitude of the catastrophe, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, said: " Fifteen fires had started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens."

Meanwhile, following the incident, a high level meeting was chaired by Tsipras to decide on the course of action.

"Extraordinary meeting on the development and confrontation of fires, the care of those affected and the taking of measures to guard the houses in the affected areas, at the Megaron Maximos," his tweet in Greek said. 

The wildfire is the worst to hit Greece in a decade.

 

Screengrab from YouTube videos

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia 22 Mar 2023, 02:56 pm
Related Videos