a tragedy with a very heavy human toll

Greek firefighters on Wednesday investigated Athens' east coast, which was hit by fires that left at least 81 people dead, including at least four foreign tourists, amid mounting criticism of the management of the disaster. The human toll of these fires, the deadliest of the century after those of Australia in 2009, has risen to 81, announced in the evening the spokesman for firefighters, Stavroula Maliri.

Among them is a Irish groom, said the Irish Embbady in Greece. According to the British press, the couple, married last Thursday, were on their honeymoon when their car was caught in the flames. The wife, Zoe, was able to reach the beach, but she suffered burns in her head and hands. So far, three other tourists have been identified among the victims: two Poles, a mother and her son, and a Belgian, whose teenage daughter has been saved. Eleven wounded remained in critical condition.

Firefighters continue to search the area for possible new victims. Given the state of the bodies, it is possible that "missing persons are among the victims discovered," said Ms. Maliri. The identification of the deceased should now accelerate: Ms. Maliri called in the evening relatives of the missing to go to the department of forensic medicine, for "information on the procedure."

Support measures

Authorities and Volunteers also organized to help the victims, whether they lost loved ones, houses or jobs, sometimes everything. A first inventory has already identified more than 300 homes and shops destroyed or seriously damaged. To hear their testimonies, the fate of the inhabitants was often played face to face, on a decision to flee or to remain caulked, to go towards the sea or in the opposite direction, to choose, or not, the good road leading to the beach and not at the edge of the sheer cliff. "Many survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress," said a health ministry official, Theophilos Rozenberg. The ministry has deployed psychological cells but also health teams, while the supply of water and electricity remains disrupted.

At the gymnasium of Rafina, transformed into a relief center, the momentum of solidarity started on Tuesday was pouring food , drugs and clothing. After the first shock, a controversy has begun on the management of this disaster.

The government, which declared a mourning of three days, announced Wednesday night a catalog of measures: compensation, – for example 10.000 euros for the loss of a close relative, 5,000 euros for a destroyed house – care for orphans, tax exemptions … until remedial points in the university competition for victims. The spokesman, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, also announced the creation of a special account open to donations, including foreign, and initially funded up to 40 million euros by the Greek state for the redevelopment of the area and other support actions.

Climate change

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras very quickly pointed out how "extreme" the phenomenon was, and Mr. Tzanakopoulos stressed the simultaneity on Monday of "15 fire starts on three different fronts "in Attica. The major opposition daily Ta Nea nevertheless criticizes "the incapacity (…) and the failure of the government to protect its citizens a few km from Athens" and called to designate the culprits. The experts question the lack of prevention and awareness of populations at risk, one of the chronic wounds of the country.

"I saw the flames on the Penteli hill opposite, but the staff did not seem to They told us it's like this every year but the fire never goes down to the sea, "said Debbie Vinzani, an American tourist on vacation to Mati. "We did not have time" to start the evacuation plan, because of the speed of the wind, pleaded a senior manager of the Civil Protection with the daily Kathimerini. "We know very well that climate change is creating more and more extreme weather conditions," said Kostis Kalambokidis, an expert in natural disasters, in order to prepare himself.

European Commissioner Chrístos Stylianídes, Head of Humanitarian Aid Tuesday evening also warned of climate change's fallout in Europe, noting that the wave of fires on the continent is affecting Sweden. On Wednesday, Attica knew a lull of fires, with the only front still active since Monday a fire over Kineta, 50 km west of Athens.

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