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Frantic Greeks seek aid as fires kill 63
2007-08-27
Desperate Greek villagers encircled by flames appealed for help on Monday as strong winds fanned forest fires that have swept the country, killing 63 people in three days. Thousands have been made homeless and Greece's worst fires in decades showed no sign of abating, with dozens raging unchecked from the southern tip of the Peloponnese to the northern town of Ioannina. "We are burning... Please help us. Where are the helicopters?" a hoarse-sounding man repeatedly screamed into his mobile phone from the village of Frixa, trapped in flames. In a battle to save the ancient site of Olympia from the flames, firefighters managed on Sunday to beat back fires threatening the revered birthplace of the Olympic Games in the southern Peloponnese peninsula. The government, facing snap elections on September 16, has offered rewards of up to a million euros ($1.4 million) for help in tracking down arsonists who it believes have played a major role in the fires. The Public Order Ministry said prosecutors would investigate whether the act of arson could be subject to the same investigation and penalties that terrorism acts carry under the penal code. Many local mayors have accused rogue land developers of setting fires to make way for new construction on virgin forest and farm land. So far, police have arrested two elderly people and two boys on suspicion of starting fires. Desperate Greeks trapped by the flames contacted television networks for help, with their frantic appeals broadcast live. "We have been left at the mercy of God. We have no water or electricity. We have been fighting the fires with tractors and branches," a woman from Nemouta village in the Peloponnese told Antenna television. Greece has declared a nationwide emergency and sought help from its European Union partners to contain the fires. SKY BLACK WITH SMOKE Thinly stretched fire brigades, aided by planes from EU countries, soldiers and local volunteers were trying to stop a large fire front from reaching the Peloponnese town of Krestena, with a population of 5,000. "There are 10 fire engines and one helicopter at the edge of the town trying to stop the fire from coming through," Reuters cameraman Vassilis Triandafyllou said. "The sky is black with smoke, you can hardly see anything." Although the temples and stadiums of ancient Olympia, where flames had licked the walls of the site's museum, were safe, fires ravaged neighboring villages on Monday. Thousands of people have fled, seeking temporary refuge in schools, hotels and regional health centers. The fires covered Athens in white ash that swirled around the temples of the Acropolis. The smell of smoke permeated the city and flags flew at half mast in a three-day mourning. Greek opposition parties attacked Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis's government for incompetence and Athens newspapers had front page headlines reading: "Incompetent! Grief for the dead, Rage for the absence of State" and "Shame for the collapse of the state." Overwhelmed by the catastrophe, Greece's appeals for aid have brought planes from France, Spain and Italy that are helping to fight the flames. Firefighters from Cyprus, France and Israel have been rushed in and help from another 10 countries was due on Monday. Cyprus, a close ally, said it would undertake part of the reconstruction cost of destroyed homes. "Cyprus will offer everything Greece will ask for and Cyprus can afford," Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said. (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Athens)
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