Firefighters overcoming Greek blazes
Wednesday, 29 Aug 2007 10:31
More than 60 people have died in the fires
Firefighters are winning the battle against fires raging across Greece which have so far killed at least 63 people.
Reports suggest the fires, mainly concentrated on the Mediterranean country's Peloponnese peninsula, are now being contained thanks to the arrival on Monday of reinforcements from countries including Italy, France, Israel and Turkey.
Planes and helicopters dropped thousands of litres of water on to the fires yesterday and their efforts now appear to be having a positive effect.
As a result attention is now focusing on the political consequences of the fires. The government has come under attack for its response to the blazes, especially from Socialist party leader George Papandreou who said the reaction had been "totally incompetent".
With elections due on September 16th, many believe the fires could have a decisive effect.
Prime minister Costas Karamanlis emphasised the importance of preventing young people from becoming disillusioned and leaving their villages.
"There are wounds which cannot be healed," the Euronews website quoted him as saying.
"However, it is our duty to relieve the pain of our fellow citizens, to help them get back on their feet, to do whatever we can to ensure that the residents of these areas do not lose hope."
Seven people have already been charged with deliberately starting the forest fires.
A further 26 individuals have been accused of lesser arson offences.
The government, which on Monday unveiled statistics that 6,404 fires occurred this year compared to 4,631 in the whole of 2006, has offered a reward of €1 million (£0.67 million) for information on who may have been responsible for starting them.
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.