Blame game blows up over deadly Greek wildfires

Author: Agencies

Grief and shock over Greece’s deadliest wildfires were clouded Friday by a bitter debate over who was to blame, as the opposition rejected the government’s suggestion that the blazes were started deliberately. Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas on Thursday suggested there were “serious” signs that the worst of the fires, which killed scores this week east of Athens, was the result of arson.

Forensics experts pressed ahead Friday with the difficult task of identifying the bodies of the 82 people known to have perished in the catastrophe.

An official in the identification effort told Greek radio that most of the bodies were completely carbonised, meaning the task will likely take several more days to complete.

Amid public anger over the government’s handling of the aftermath, Toskas told reporters on Thursday that “a serious piece of information has led to us opening an investigation” into possible “criminal acts”.

Officials citing information from satellite maps have said that 13 fires broke out at the same time across the region of Attica — which includes Athens — on Monday.

But the government has come in for strong criticism over its response to the disaster despite a 40-million-euro relief fund for those affected.

Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was heckled on Thursday as he visited the coastal region of Mati, where most of the fatalities occurred.

“You left us to God’s mercy, there’s nothing left,” shouted one resident.

But Kammenos went on the counter-attack, telling the BBC that illegal construction in the past was also to blame for the disaster.

The “majority” of houses on the coast had been built without the proper licences, he said.

“After this tragedy I think it is the moment to understand that it’s dangerous for them and for their families to not follow the rules and the laws,” the minister said.

Experts have said that a mix of poor urban planning, including a lack of proper access routes and the construction of too many buildings next to combustible forest areas, contributed to what were Europe’s worst wildfires this century. The region’s mayor Evangelos Bournos told Greek radio Friday that the emergency responders had inadvertently trapped residents by closing a main road near the fires.

“We are all responsible, the government, the emergency services, and citizens,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, July 28^th 2018.