Greeks standing on ashes

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has been murdered in Greece.

Survivors and political opponents accused Tsipras and his government of insensitivity for not apologizing for Greece's deadliest blaze in memory and for failing to prevent the tragedy.

He cut short a visit to Bosnia on Monday night, rushing home hours after the killer blaze broke out near Athens. But falling off the radar for some days after that has infuriated some people.

"How does this plan to redeem this political responsibility? What does political responsibility mean? "To a 79-year-old man in front of his burnt home told Skai TV.

Venting anger, survivors and political opponents want to see officials resign over the disaster to prevent the disaster amidst questions on why an evacuation did not take place.

Tsipras appeared on the TV screens on Friday to chair a meeting after an official three days of mourning ended. Assists said he has been busy coordinating the disaster response.

He said he took full political responsibility for the disaster. But for those who survive the inferno, the words meant little.

"Words are nice … but I do not know who I am. I have reached my limits. "

BURNING QUESTIONS

The wildfire in Greek language, a non-violent way of life compliance and eventually legalize built homes to win votes.

On the night of the fire, the state TV showed Tsipras rushing from the airport to an operations center in Athens, a live broadcast of what happened and how many people had been deployed to the flames .

He did not ask for anything in the world, where they were caught by advancing flames and died. At least not on camera.

"Which begs the question: Did they know what happened?" Said Pavlos Christides, spokesman for the Socialist Pasok.

On Tuesday morning the death toll was 49 people. Rescuers had found the bodies of 26 people hugging each other in a field. Survivors said it all happened in less than two hours.

TSIPRAS HOLED UP

After announcing Tsipras was invisible until Friday. He is not known to have visited any of the survivors in hospital.

"He was in his office, chairing meeting after meeting, with the citizen protection minister, the interior minister, the mayors; he was busy coordinating the operation, "one government official said.

The civil protection minister, Nikos Toskas, said that there were some indications of arson, something the conservative rulers of the New Democracy party said in 2007, when fires killed dozens of people in southern Greece.

Despite announcing a long list of relief measures, Tsipras was accused by the opposition of burying his head in the sand. He rejected the charges during the cabinet meeting.

The prime minister is more focused on the "communications aspect" of the crisis than "what really matters," Christides said, arguing the government should prioritize the plight of those affected.

"There is no point in talking about his absence or his presence; "

Tsipras has been trailing New Democracy, the main political opposition, in opinion polls. Its leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the fire-stricken areas this week. TV images showed a woman sobbing in his arms.

Tsipras' coalition partner, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, visited Mati to face the anger of survivors. "You left us at God's mercy!" A tearful woman shouted at Kammenos, who also got into a heated debate.

Tsipras has promised closure, saying the government will look into what was wrong and fix past failings to avoid a repeat tragedy. Whether the subject will be determined by its actions, analysts said.

But it is not uncommon for politicians in Greece to stay out of the public eye after a disaster.

"It's a standard practice in dead-end situations, the object of … hatred vanishes," said political analyst Dimitris Mavros, adding that no politician could take the risk of appearing helpless, standing above the ashes.

For a graphic on the wildfire click on: tmsnrt.rs/2K6N3Qc