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Orthodox faithful attend a memorial service for victims of a forest fire, in a church in Mati village, east of Athens, Sunday, July 29, 2018. Hundreds of worshipers attended a memorial service to Mati for the dozens of a forest fire that devastated the resort. (Yorgos Karahalis / Associated Press)
MATI, Greece – Fire officials in Greece have raised to 91 the death toll from a fire that ravaged a coastal area in the east of the country. Athens and reported that 25 people were missing Sunday, six Before the National Fire Service updated the official number of casualties, it stood at 86, while hundreds of people were attending a memorial service Sunday morning for the victims in the seaside village the hardest.
The fire wreaked havoc in the village of Mati, a popular holiday resort, without warning on July 23. A database maintained by the Center for Disease Epidemiology Research in Brussels shows it as the deadliest forest fire in Europe since 1900.
The vast majority of the dead died in the fire itself. even though a number drowned in the sea as he fled the flames. Until Sunday evening, the Greek authorities had not provided a count of missing persons.
Hellenic Fire Service spokesman Stavroula Malliri said the death toll continued to grow and the list of missing persons
Malliri said that on Sunday night, 59 victims had been identified on bodies or remains and that four other people injured in the fire had died in hospitals in the area. But identities have not yet been linked to 28 other sets of remains, she said.
Parents or friends reported that 25 people were officially missing, said Malliri. people could be among the still unidentified remains of the dead. The official asked anonymity because the fire is still under investigation.
At the commemorative ceremony in Mati, the head of the local Greek Orthodox church, Bishop Kyrillos, said the community mourned the simultaneous loss of family, neighbors and friends. 19659014] "There is less of us now than usual," said the bishop. "It's the victims of the recent fire that are missing – friends, relatives and acquaintances, people on the other side that we see every day in town and on the beach."
Local resident Angeliki Galiatsatou said that she "
" I came to pray for people who were lost and I pray that God would bless us all, "she said
Dozens volunteer divers, some retired. The seals, ventured again into the sea on Sunday to look for the bodies of the most possible victims. The search was abandoned, without result, because of a sudden storm.
The Greek authorities claimed to have reason to believe that the fire had been caused by arson and that it had become so lethal as winds of 100 km / h The Greek government was also criticized for the way buildings and roads have been developed in the area and a presumed lack of adequate preparation for the fire season. More than 2,000 homes were damaged by the fire and about a quarter will have to be demolished, Greek officials said Friday.
The Holy Synod, composed of all the Greek Bishops, stated in a letter
"What words of comfort can you offer to the person who has lost his father, his mother, the grandparents in the whose grandchildren were found? "said Kyrillos. "What words of comfort can you offer to a mother who has lost her baby and left some flowers on the beach?"
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Nellas reported from Athens.
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Follow Costas Kantouris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CostasKantoury
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