A Disaster Which Ruined Many Lives in Greece and Turkey

 

Greece & Turkey in Fire

On Saturday, hundreds of firemen battled fires that consumed a record amount of woods in Greece, displacing hundreds of households, but strong rains provided relief to hard-hit Turkey.

The fire service reported that more than 1,450 Greek firemen, supported by at least 15 aircraft, were combating the blazes, with reinforcements arriving from overseas.

Tasos Tsilivakos, a retiree from Pefkofyto in Athens' northern, fought to hold back tears.

He told AFP, "This is a terrible accident."

"I'm worried that only our great-grandchildren will have the opportunity to stroll in these places again."

France and the United Kingdom have stated that they are rushing to rescue Greece.

President Emmanuel Macron of France tweeted that he had discussed the matter with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Macron tweeted, "Solidarity as Europeans always," announcing that France has dispatched 80 firemen and rescuers, as well as three Canadair firefighting planes.

Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, tweeted on Saturday that the UK is sending "a team of experienced firemen to assist Greek firefighters now tackling the massive fires."

Egypt is likely to provide two helicopters, while Spain is expected to send one Canadair aircraft. 'A summer of nightmares'

The fires in Greece are anticipated to burn for a long time, with strong winds and temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas on Saturday. And the flames so far this year have been considerably more devastating than prior years.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, 56,655 hectares (140,000 acres) have been burned in Greece in the previous ten days. During the same time span, from 2008 and 2020, an average of 1,700 hectares were burned.