Photo: Slovak firefighters assessing the situation on the Greek island of Evia. Credit: Greek Reporter
Greece has praised the firefighters from around the world who came to assist in the country’s fight against the record-breaking forest fires that ravaged the country, most of which are now under control.
23 countries, 11 from the European Union, donated manpower and equipment to help the battle. This included 1,300 firefighters and 250 fire engines. Among those to assist were the US, the UK, Switzerland, Israel, Ukraine, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Moldova, and Serbia.
The cost of the operation is primarily being overseen by the EU, though many other countries have also contributed financially.
A member of the 100 firefighters sent from Ukraine, said:
”We feel good being here helping a friendly nation like Greece. We have great communication and relationship with our Greek colleagues; the only problem is that we speak different languages.”
A similar message was from a Slovakian volunteer, who added:
“We have brought here a total of 77 firefighters and 30 trucks. We arrived and met with our Greek colleagues, with whom we have great cooperation and coordination. We Have Never Seen Flames Like This. This is the first time the Slovak firefighters have to deal with such big fires.”
Emmanuel Macron, said of the mission undertaken by French firefighters in Greece:
”France stands by Greece, which is suffering greatly from catastrophic fires.”
The assistance from all countries was praised by the Greek President. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has come under heavy criticism from the Greek public and Greek media over his handling of the fires, which was judged by some to be slow and ineffective. The President said in a statement:
“During these critical times that Greece goes through we are not alone. Many countries stand effectively by our side offering human and other resources, help and support. We warmly thank you for our solidarity.”
The wildfires in Greece started and expanded so rapidly due to record-breaking temperatures. Wildfires have also raged across the Mediterranean including Italy, Spain, Turkey and Algeria.
[h/t: Greek Reporter]
COMMENTS