Monday, August 27, 2007

”Greece Has the Feel of a Country on a War Footing”

BBC: Firefighting aircraft from several countries are helping Greece tackle devastating forest fires that have killed at least 60 people.

Large swathes of Greece - from the island of Evia north of Athens to the Peloponnese in the south - have been ravaged by the inferno since Friday.

Greek police have arrested 32 arson suspects, as investigations continue into the origins of the blazes.

A 1m euro (£678,000) reward has been offered to help catch fire-starters.

Dozens of new fires continue to break out, fanned by hot, dry winds.

'War footing'

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant, in Athens, says the police and intelligence services will be keen to discover if there is any link between the suspected arsonist, and whether they are part of an organised scorched earth campaign.

Greece has the feel of a country on a war footing, our correspondent says. Foreigners help fight Greek fires (more)

Map of affected areas

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Reward to find Greek arsonists

Mark Alexander