Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 4 auguSt 2018
Greek minister resigns after criticism of wildfire response

By COSTAS KANTOURIS toll.
ELENA BECATOROS Environment Minister Gior-
Associated Press gos Stathakis told Greek
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — radio channel 24/7 that 61
Greece's public order min- structures, mainly fencing,
ister resigned Friday over will be removed at sites on
the deadly forest fire that beaches, streams and ar-
killed at least 88 people in eas earmarked for refores-
a seaside area near Athens tation in several regions of
last week, after spending Attica.
days defending the way The Mati blaze was the
authorities had handled deadliest in decades, in
the disaster. a hot, dry country where
A government statement summer wildfires are a con-
said Prime Minister Alexis stant major hazard.
Tsipras met with Nikos Tos- Hundreds of people fled to
kas and accepted his res- beaches, but even there
ignation. the flames and choking
In a tweet after the meet- In this Saturday, March 31, 2018 file photo, Greek public order minister Nikos Toskas attends a smoke from the wildfire
ing, Tsipras thanked Toskas ceremony in Athens. forced many to swim out
for his "courage" in step- Associated Press to sea despite gale-force
ping down. "I warmly thank winds.
(him) for the honesty and press conference that, versions that sent motorists Earlier Friday, the govern- Many survivors spent
dedication he displayed despite considerable soul- into deadly fire zone, and ment said authorities will hours in the water until
during the discharge of his searching, he had not dis- on an allegedly delayed start demolishing dozens they were rescued by the
duties," Tsipras added. cerned any major errors in announcement of the first of illegal fences and other coast guard, fishing boats
Toskas — and other gov- how the emergency was deaths. structures in the wider Ath- and other boats. Several
ernment officials — came handled. Toskas also initially sug- ens region next week in a drowned.
under intense criticism from Critics focused on the gested that arsonists could crackdown on structures Coroner Ilias Bogiokas said
Greek opposition parties absence of any official be to blame for the fire, built without permits. the wildfire was so hot that
over authorities' response evacuation effort for resi- although later indications Greek officials are claiming "there was almost noth-
to the devastating fire at dents before the flames suggested negligence by that such structures were a ing left" of many of the
the seaside resort of Mati, reached Mati, on police al- somebody trying to burn major contributing factor bodies.q
and for his assertion in a legedly allowing traffic di- garden waste. to the wildfire's high death

Hot, dusty and on fire: Portugal's heatwave breaks records

By BARRY HATTON the 10-year average area high risk" for wildfires in cen-
Associated Press has been charred so far this tral and southern Sweden
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — year. this weekend because of
Eight places in Portugal Temperatures were being the continuing dry weather
broke local temperature driven higher across the and strong winds.
records Friday as a wave Iberian peninsula by a hot And over in Britain, an un-
of heat from North Africa air mass moving northward usually long, torrid summer
swept across the Iberian from Africa, which is also has taken its toll on the
peninsula — and officials bringing dust from the Sa- country's flowers. The su-
predicted the scorching hara Desert, meteorologists permarket chain Morrisons
temperatures could get said. The dust gave the sky has begun selling "wonky"
even worse over the week- a dark yellow hue in some flowers that have not de-
end. places. veloped properly.
Temperatures built to In Spain, heat warnings The U.K.'s Met Office
around 45 degrees Celsius were also issued for 41 of weather service says July
(113 degrees Fahrenheit) A seagull flies over at La Concha beach during a hot summer the country's 50 provinces was the country's third-
Friday in many inland ar- day in the basque city of San Sebastian, northern Spain, Friday, as temperatures were ex- warmest month in more
eas of Portugal, and were Aug. 3, 2018. pected to reach up to 44 C than a century. In Moscow,
expected to peak at 47 Associated Press (111.2 F). Spain's highest re- as temperatures rose to
C (116.6 F) in some places corded temperature is 46.9 close to 30 C (86 F), city au-
Saturday. Large sections of temperature was 47.4 C tal, were packed. C (116.42 F) in Cordoba, a thorities announced they
Portugal are on red alert on (117.3 F) in 2003. Emergen- Some 400 firefighters and southern city, in July 2017. were opening hundreds
the Civil Protection Agen- cy services have issued a five water-dropping air- The World Meteorological of "cool rooms" where resi-
cy's danger scale. red alert through Sunday, craft, meanwhile, were Organization says conti- dents could rest amid air
The highest temperature placing extra services such battling a wildfire in south- nental Europe's record is conditioning, with water
recorded Thursday, when as medical staff and fire- ern Portugal's Algarve re- 48 C (118.4 F) in Greece in dispensers and medical at-
the heat began to rise, was fighters on standby. gion. 1977. tendants.
45.2 C (113.4 F) near Abran- In Portugal's southern Alen- Portugal sees large wildfires In northern Europe, Sweden Although that tempera-
tes, a town 150 kilometers tejo province, streets were every year, although un- was still under threat from ture is far below the blaz-
(93 miles) northeast of the largely deserted. Some seasonably cool weather wildfires, which in recent ing heat hitting southern
capital, Lisbon, the coun- farmers chose to work dur- through the end of July weeks have extended into Europe, it's well above the
try's weather agency IPMA ing the night instead of in has meant fewer blazes in the Arctic Circle. Russian capital's average
said. the heat of the day. Beach- 2018. The government says Sweden's Civil Contingen- August maximum of 23 C
Portugal's highest recorded es around Lisbon, the capi- only about 15 percent of cies Agency warned of "a (73 F). q