صحافة بلادي صحيفة إلكترونية مغاربية متجددة على مدار الساعة تعنى بشؤون المغرب الجزائر ليبيا موريتانيا تونس
Athens –For the fourth day in a row, the Greek authorities continue their intensive efforts to extinguish the forest fires raging northwest of the capital, Athens, amid the mobilization of hundreds of firefighters and specialized aircraft, after the fires destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and agricultural lands and forced residents to evacuate a number of areas.
The authorities have strengthened firefighting operations by deploying nine aircraft and nine helicopters, taking advantage of the decline in wind speeds that had hindered air interventions over the past days, while about 450 fire brigade members continue to work on three main fronts west of Athens.
The fires caused human losses, after a Danish pilot and his Greek co-pilot were killed as a result of the collision of two helicopters while participating in extinguishing operations, while the crew of the second helicopter survived and was taken to the hospital, in an accident that opened an official investigation to determine its circumstances.
It also prompted the authorities to issue orders to evacuate new villages near the Kandili region, at a time when the risk of new fires is still at a high level due to climatic conditions and high temperatures.
According to European data, fires last week consumed more than 12,000 hectares of forests and agricultural land, in light of a heat wave and drought hitting the Mediterranean region, amid warnings of the effects of climate change on the exacerbation of these disasters.
In a parallel development, the Greek authorities arrested employees of an electricity company on suspicion that a spark from an electrical network caused a fire to break out, while investigations indicate the possibility of another fire being linked to the electricity transmission lines of wind power plants.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that the country is facing exceptional circumstances, noting that “the force of nature and the severity of weather conditions have sometimes exceeded planning and response capabilities.”
Source:“My press”
