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The Financial Express

Death toll from Greek wildfire reaches 91 as village grieves

| Updated: August 03, 2018 13:27:06


Greek wildfire death toll rises to 91

The death toll of the Greek wildfire, Europe's deadliest forest fire in more than a century, rose to 91 after four people succumbed to their injuries in hospitals, fire officials said.

On July 23, the deadliest wildfire in Europe since 1900 sped flames through the village of Mati, according to the the Centre for the Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels.

As of Sunday, 25 people were listed as missing, according to the local emergency services. Twenty-eight victims of the fire that ravaged the seaside region remain unidentified.

Ten victims are still in the intensive care unit, and a total of 43 adults and one child are still hospitalised, according to the health authority.

The rising death toll of the wildfires which started on Monday afternoon in the Attica region in southern Greece, made the disaster the country's deadliest wildfire in decades.

The authorities are still looking into what started the fire. Arson has been mentioned as one of the possible reasons, according to global media reports.

Nikos Toskas, the Greek cabinet minister responsible for public order and civil protection, mentioned earlier "significant signs" of arson.

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, meanwhile, assumed that the illegal construction of buildings in wooded areas contributed to the high death toll, blocking escape routes.

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