As Greece continues to battle wildfire season, authorities have arrested 13 people concerning a wildfire near Athens. The 13 individuals have been arrested after fireworks were launched from a yacht party, triggering a wildfires in the island of Hydra.
As per firefighters, the fire, which ignited on late Friday torched the only pine forest in Hydra. Additionally, the fire is in a region where access is limited.
The 13 individuals were arrested on Saturday by the police.
"The arrests come after allegations that the forest fire was sparked by fireworks launched from the yacht on Friday night," an official told Reuters.
Following this incident, the government has also toughened its stance and penalties for arson.
"Perpetrators will now face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 euros ($214,000)," stated fire services in an official statement.
"New Fire Every Ten Minutes"
Apart from the island of Hydra, a wildfire was also reported on the island of Andros, which triggered the evacuation of four villages.
In Koropi, two villages have been evacuated after a storage facility and one house were burnt down due to the flames from a wildfire.
In addition to the series of fires across the Mediterranean country, firefighters have added that the heatwave, climate change and strong winds have added to the spread of the fire, making it more difficult to contain them.
Tourists Missing Or Found Dead
Amid the heatwave and wildfires, several tourists in Greece have been reported missing or unfortunately found dead.
As per authorities, at least five tourists have been found dead on the Greek islands in recent weeks.
Furthermore, one American tourist - 59 year old Albert Calibet remains missing. Calibet has been missing since last Tuesday in the island of Amorgos after he went hiking with his girlfriend.
