[ad_1]
The authorities are in Cyprus It has been said that after the water bombing by Greek and Israeli aircraft, a deadly forest fire that has hit the island the most in decades is about to be brought under control.
Driven by strong winds, the fire broke out on Saturday afternoon and swept across the southern foothills of the Troodos Mountains as the country is struggling to cope with the hot heat wave.
The fire caused the death of 4 Egyptian workers, 50 houses were destroyed, farms and power lines were damaged, and 10 villages were forced to evacuate.
“Everything here is a nightmare and pure hell; the village is surrounded by fire,” said Akis Giorgiou, 45, from the small village of Arakapas.
By late Sunday afternoon, the government reported [fire] It broke out due to “effective water droplets from Greek and Israeli aircraft”.
The Egyptian government stated that the four dead were farm workers from North African countries, while Nicosia promised to “support the families of the victims…provide all support.”
“This is a tragedy,” President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as “the biggest fire since 1974,” when the island was in Turkey that year Split after occupying the northern third.
More than 50 square kilometers (20 square miles) of forest and farmland were destroyed. The thick and knotty trunk of the ancient olive tree symbolizing the holiday island turned into a smoldering stump.
Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that the charred bodies of four Egyptians were found outside the village of Odos in the Larnaca district.
They found a burned vehicle at the bottom of the canyon, while four bodies were located 600 meters away. A police officer on the scene said that they appeared to have escaped from the vehicle on foot, but ran in the direction of the flames blown by the wind, destined to escape.
In areas where fires have been tamed, gray ashes replace the yellowing bushes visible to the naked eye in non-forest areas.
A 67-year-old farmer was arrested and remanded on suspicion of causing a fire, which he denied. Police said an eyewitness saw him driving away from Arakapas village while catching fire, and may face charges of recklessness leading to the death of four people.
According to the Central News Agency, on Sunday morning, Anastasiades visited a crisis management center in the village of Vavaziniya, a few miles east of the fire. The Greek Cypriot leader said that the fire seems to have been basically contained, but it may break out again.
Firefighters were seen on the road to Vavazinja, several helicopters hovering over the fire scene, thick smoke covering the sky. An Agence France-Presse reporter in Ora village reported that he saw several houses burned down.
European Union Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said on Saturday that the European Union’s “air firefighting capabilities” have been mobilized, and Italy and Greece have sent aircraft to help.
Israel deployed a C-130 Hercules and two “air tractor” firefighting aircraft. – Two search and rescue helicopters were deployed in the United Kingdom, which has a military base in Cyprus.
A government spokesperson later stated that the situation was close to being brought under control.
“The fire and forestry departments inspected the affected communities and now believe they are safe,” said spokesperson Niovi Parisinou.
She said: “Until all fires are finally extinguished, complacency is not allowed, so efforts are still going on,” adding that electricity supply is gradually recovering.
“Instructions have been issued for people to return to a place deemed safe for their homes.”
She added that the team will be deployed immediately to begin assessing and registering damaged houses and properties for compensation.
In recent years, Cyprus has experienced long periods of heat waves and droughts.
In the past few days, inland temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and there has been very little rainfall since mid-April.
[ad_2]
Source link
