Greek PM Apologizes to Public amid Unstoppable Wildfires

On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized to the public as the state failed in controlling and stopping the wildfires that erupted all over the state, according to the Greek Reporter.

Mitsotakis said in his latest speech: "Any failures will be identified. And the responsibilities will be assigned whenever and wherever it is needed. The first issue, right now, is solutions."

"...we are facing a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions: in a few days, 586 fires broke out in all corners of Greece. Fires which, due to the unprecedented heat and the many months of drought, are now very difficult to extinguish," he continued.

Next, the prime minister reflected that the main reason for such crisis is the current global warming and climate change that affect the whole world.

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He described: "It is obvious that the climate crisis is now knocking on the door of the whole planet, with fires that last for weeks," adding, "We may have done what was humanly possible, but in many cases this did not seem to be enough in the unequal battle with nature."

After that, the Greek official asserted that the main target for authorities and firefighters is saving the lives of people, in addition to, assisting in all evacuation plans.

“The fact that people were rescued, with complete evacuation plans, is due to the professionalism of the Civil Protection, as well as the action of the Police and the Coast Guard. It was not self-evident, nor a given. The same goes for the protection of many villages that were not burned down thanks to the self-sacrifice of firefighters and volunteers, and of course our pilots and the Armed Forces. Within 24 hours, there were 62 organized evacuations of residents in 141 areas," he explained.

Furthermore, Mitsotakis thanked and greeted all countries that aided Greece in the disaster. He also revealed that the state will start to rebuild what has been destroyed after securing several funds for helping those who lost their homes.

In addition, the Greek prime minister asserted that all lost-green areas will be replanted once again. "There we will plant — not only many, but also the right — trees, utilizing the most modern know-how. So that, with the help of nature, our forests can be reborn and life, and the economy, can return to the places that were hit by the flames," he concluded.