Ta Nea, August 24, 2009

Arsonists bring hell to the Athenians

Published on 24 August 2009 at 13:45
Ta Nea, August 24, 2009

Cover

Athens is still under threat. Hundreds of Greek firemen, assisted by air support from several European countries, are fighting against forest fires that broke out three days ago in the region of the Greek capital. As the Ta Neaheadline — "Thousands of refugees on the streets of Athens" — suggests, large numbers of people have been evacuated, bringing back memories of the 2007 fires, which killed 77 and destroyed over 250,000 hectares of land. The left-wing daily has published a three-point list enumerating the causes of the current catastrophe — "1. All the evidence indicates the fires were started by arsonists. 2. Fire-fighting planes were slow to reach the area. 3. Intervention was delayed by a lack coordination between fire crews." These conclusions are shared by another newspaper, To Ethnos, which further notes that "authorities underestimated the extent of initial outbreaks on Friday 21 August," and "did not recall firemen who were on holiday until Sunday".

Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic