Reward for details about Greek fire arsonists
Monday, 27 Aug 2007 20:24
Three people have been arrested for allegedly setting off the fires
The government of Greece has announced a reward of up to €1 million (£0.67 million) for information about arsonists suspected of starting forest fires in the country.
A total of 60 people have died as the raging fires came close to ancient historical sites in Greece such as Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics.
"The reward is set between €100,000 to €1 million for every arson, depending on whether death or serious injury occurred and the size of the damage," a government statement said.
Greek prime minister Kostas Karamanlis has declared a state of emergency as the fires continue to spread across the Mediterranean country.
Officials had feared that the world heritage site of Olympia may be under threat from the blazes. The site of ancient Olympia and an archaeological museum nearby have been confirmed as safe by officials from the ministry of culture.
Fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis has described the situation as a "disaster without precedent".
The forest fires, which started late on Thursday night, have claimed 60 lives so far and resulted in hundreds of villages across the Mediterranean country being evacuated.
Speaking in a televised address to the country yesterday, the prime minister said: "All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency in order to mobilise all means and forces to face this disaster."
He also cast doubt over how so many fires had broken out in different parts of the country saying it was "not a coincidence". Over seventy new fires were reported yesterday leading to elections being postponed.
In an announcement yesterday, Mr Diamandis blamed arsonists for causing the fires.
He added that a 65-year-old man has been charged with murder and arson over starting a blaze that claimed six lives in Areopolis. Thirty-one others have been arrested on the charge of arson.
A total of 9,000 firefighters and 500 soldiers are trying to contain the fire. Over 1,800 fire engines, planes and helicopters have also been deployed to the affected areas.
Mr Karamanlis has called the fire an "unspeakable tragedy" and appealed to the European Union for assistance.
Greece has been battling forest fires since June when a heatwave across Europe also resulted in blazes being reported in Macedonia, Romania and the Canary Islands.