Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 26 July 2018
Grim house search yields more bodies in Greek fires, 81 dead

By COSTAS KANTOURIS and had not been rescued
DEREK GATOPOULOS, Asso- as Monday's ferocious
ciated Press wildfire raged down from
MATI, Greece (AP) — Res- the mountains and tore
cuers intensified a grim through vacation homes.
house-to-house search "She died helpless, an
Wednesday for more ca- 88-year-old woman. I lost
sualties from a deadly for- my nearby home in the
est fire outside Athens, as fire, and my mother's was
the country's military said it burned too," he said, his
was using footage from U.S. voice cracking with emo-
combat drones and surveil- tion. "So many people died
lance aircraft to try to de- that it took the rescuers
termine whether arsonists three days to find her."
were behind the blaze and The fire forced hundreds
stop future attacks. to sprint to sea for safety,
Joint patrols of the Fire Ser- swimming out into the
vice, army personnel, and rough waters to avoid the
volunteer rescuers discov- suffocating smoke until they
ered more bodies in the were picked up by boats
gutted homes near the after nightfall. Divers and
port of Rafina east of Ath- coast guard patrols were
ens, raising the death toll to still searching Wednesday
81. A member of a rescue team searches a burned house in Mati, east of Athens, Wednesday, July for bodies at sea.
Nikos Giannopoulos stood 25, 2018. The mayor of the fire-rav-
with his wife and two chil- Associated Press aged Marathon area, Ilias
dren outside the destroyed Psinakis, said many resi-
home of his 88-year-old They found her charred but failed to spot his moth- a yellow body bad and dents only had a few min-
mother, waiting for news body in the bathroom. er's body in the blackened placed in a wooden coffin, utes to save themselves.
as rescuers searched each Giannopoulos had interior. and Giannopoulos vent- He described losing his own
room. searched the home earlier Her remains were put into ed anger that his mother home.q

Police search office of ex-security aide to French president

By ELAINE GANLEY testimony as a demotion —
Associated Press have been seen by many
PARIS (AP) — French police legislators as inadequate.
searched the presidential Testimony by the director
palace office Wednesday of Macron's office, Patrick
of the former security aide Strzoda, might have made
to President Emmanuel Ma- matters worse. Strzoda,
cron who was seen beat- who said he decided the
ing a protester in a video punishment, told the Sen-
that triggered a political ate inquiry commission
firestorm. Wednesday that Benalla's
An official at the presiden- pay was not withheld dur-
tial Elysee Palace con- ing the two-week suspen-
firmed that Alexandre Be- sion in May, but was being
nalla, who was fired last deducted from vacation
week, was present during time owed him on his firing
the search. The official date.
wasn't authorized to speak Macron addressed the is-
publicly and asked not to sue for the first time on Tues-
be named. day night, six days after the
Authorities opened a judi- beating video surfaced.
cial investigation of Bena- "If they want someone re-
lla's actions at a May Day French President Emmanuel Macron greets people after visiting La Patisserie Bordelaise, a pastry sponsible, tell them he is in
protest after Le Monde shop in Bagneres de Bigorre, France, Wednesday July 25, 2018. front of you," Macron said
newspaper identified him Associated Press at the party event. "Be-
as the person acting vio- cause the one responsible
lently in the video it re- lawmakers from his centrist calm. I'm with people here. the May incident. is me and me alone. Tell
leased last week. Investi- party that he alone was re- We're happy and all is well." Lawmakers also want to them they can come and
gators searched Benalla's sponsible. The dismissive reaction was know why Benalla's be- get me." Some lawmakers
apartment on Saturday. On Wednesday, Macron unlikely to sit well with op- havior while accompany- criticized the president for
Macron's office has been brushed away questions position lawmakers. They ing police officers at the failing to address the na-
criticized for not disclosing during an official visit in the are among the members of protest was not immedi- tion and instead choosing
the accusations weeks ago Pyrenees, where he was parliament who are ques- ately reported to judicial a forum where neither the
and the way it handled welcomed with local songs. tioning presidential officials officials. His punishment press nor the public was
them. The French leader "Stop getting so excited as part of two inquiries set at the time — two weeks' present. A video of the
said Tuesday night at a about this affair," he told up to find out why Benalla suspension and what has event was leaked to some
gathering of officials and inquiring journalists. "Stay was kept on the job after been described in inquiry French media.q