July 23 will go down in history as one of Greece’s darkest dates.
An asymmetrical arrow of wildfires spread uncontrollably while 100km/h strong winds blazed through the Eastern suburbs of Attica crossing one of Greece’s most popular resort spots off the map.
The most recent update coming from Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson Stavroula Malliri, has the tally of the dead reach 91 of whom only 59 victims had been identified. Twenty five people are still reportedly missing, six days after the deadly Mati fire that affected at least 2,000 homes.
“Another 28 sets of remains, are yet to be identified,” she said adding that four more people that recently succumbed to their burns in local hospitals have not been linked to missing persons from relatives.
Ms Malliri went on to request anonymity due to the cause of the fire still being under investigation.
Greece’s navy seals are still searching the waters of the surrounding areas as many people took to the sea seeking cover, which resulted in several people drowning. The investigation, however, was put on hold until the flash storms and tide following the pine forest fires ceased.
“There’s fewer of us now than usually,” Bishop Kyrillos of the local Greek Orthodox Church said during the memorial service. “It is the victims of the recent fire that are missing — friends, relatives and acquaintances, next-door people that we saw every day in town and on the beach.”
“What words of comfort can you offer the person who has lost their father, their mother, the grandparents in whose arms their grandchildren were found?” Kyrillos added quoting the Holy Synod. “What words of solace can you offer a mother who has lost her baby and left a few flowers on the beach?”
Meanwhile, both the Church and the Greek Government are still facing backlash for providing minimal support to the fire-struck community and not assuming responsibility for poor infrastructure and crisis response respectively.
Another vigil took place on Monday night in Syntagma Square in Athens, where people lit candles as they gathered to commemorate the victims.