Cyprus is organising the collection of aid for the survivors of the Athens wildfires that has claimed at least 79 lives and injured more than a 190.
Efforts to collect aid for Greece are being coordinated by the Office of the Volunteer Commissioner in what is one of the worst disasters to befall the country.
People wishing to donate are requested to collect food, medicine and other essentials at designated spots, from where, in cooperation with the Greek authorities, the relief aid will be sent to Greece and delivered to those in need.
The Cyprus Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry are in close coordination and cooperation with the Greek authorities.
On Wednesday, the Cyprus cabinet approved 10 million euros in support of the fire victims in Greece.
According to Cyprus’ Ambassador in Athens, Kyriakos Kenevezos, there are no Cypriots among the dead or the injured. He said however that Cypriots, mainly elderly people around Mati, have been in touch with the embassy asking for help.
Cypriots can send money to a bank account given by the Greek Municipality of Pikermi-Rafina, affected the most by the devastating wildfires. The list of needs includes food that can be preserved outside the fridge, long life milk, linen and blankets, clothes and shoes, canned food, diapers and medical aid such as Fucidin cream, Betadine and gauze.
Cyprus has already sent a group of 64 firefighters including officers from Civil Defence and the Ambulance Service. More personnel are on standby if needed.
Nicosia has expressed deep sympathy with the people of Greece and said it would contribute to the effort to help those affected by the devastating fires.
The authorities have expressed readiness to send additional assistance if needed. Aid has arrived from other countries as well and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides has rushed to Athens to oversee the efforts of the Greek authorities.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared three days of national mourning for the dead. The number of victims is set to increase and there is no definitive count of the missing.
Tsipras spoke of “unspeakable tragedy” the country faced after at least 79 people were killed by wildfires that swept through a resort, trapping people in cars and on the edge of cliffs as others were forced to jump off to survive.
Scores of gutted cars lined streets in the coastal town of Mati, east of Athens, melted by the intensity of the heat. Bodies lay on roadsides, and in one area, a group of 26 people were found dead – some locked in an embrace as the flames closed in.
Many in the area had been unable to escape the fast pace of the blaze even though they were a few metres from the Aegean Sea or in their homes, the fire service said.
