Greek court finds 10 guilty over deadliest wildfire
A Greek appeals court has handed down prison sentences to ten individuals for their roles in the 2018 Mati wildfire, the deadliest in modern Greek history
- ATHENS — A Greek appeals court has handed down prison sentences to ten
individuals for their roles in the 2018 Mati wildfire, the deadliest in modern
Greek history.
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- The devastating blaze tore through the coastal resort
town of Mati near Athens, claiming 104 lives and injuring more than 140 others.
The tragedy shocked the nation and drew widespread criticism over the failures
in emergency response.
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- Among those convicted were senior officials from the Fire
Brigade, as well as regional and municipal authorities. An elderly resident was
also found guilty of unintentionally igniting the fire by burning dry
vegetation in his yard.
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- Xinhua quoted a report by the state-run Athens-Macedonian
News Agency (AMNA), that the court on Wednesday ruled that the actions and
omissions of those convicted significantly contributed to the magnitude of the
disaster.
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- The court issued cumulative prison terms ranging from 238
to 340 years. However, under Greek law, the actual time to be served will be
substantially reduced. Four individuals are expected to serve up to five years
in prison, while others may see their sentences converted to financial
penalties.
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- Emotional scenes unfolded in the courtroom as families of
the victims expressed both grief and outrage. Greek public broadcaster ERT
reported that some relatives wept openly and confronted the defendants,
demanding apologies.
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- On the evening of July 23, 2018, strong winds rapidly
drove flames through the seaside town, turning the popular holiday destination
into a deadly inferno within hours. The fire engulfed two coastal communities,
scorched more than 14 square kilometres of land, and destroyed or damaged over
3,000 homes.
