Thirteen crew members and passengers onboard a yacht were detained by Greek officials on Saturday following claims of their involvement in a forest fire on the island of Hydra, instigated by fireworks shot from their vessel. The inferno, which damaged a section of the island’s sole pine woodland in the secluded Bisti area, was tamed by early Saturday.
A court appearance is scheduled for the individuals on Sunday, according to a statement from the fire department, which did not specify the yacht or the persons involved. The arrests were prompted by accusations that the fireworks setting off from the yacht on Friday night instigated the forest fire, as stated by an authority privy to the matter. The individuals were detained at a marina in the vicinity of Athens.
Hydra, situated southwest of Athens in the Saronic Gulf, attracts a significant number of overseas tourists and yacht travellers. Hydra’s mayor, George Koukoudakis, expressed his displeasure to the state TV, “We are incensed. It’s truly disheartening if it’s accurate.”
Fire brigades strained on Saturday to control a series of wildfires propelled by strong winds on the islands and in the southern areas of the mainland. – Reuters