European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Saturday flew over the Peloponnese region in southern Greece by helicopter, where 64 people have died in the fires.
Approximately 190,000 hectares, mostly forest and agricultural land, have burned, and Barroso has therefore promised financial assistance from the EU to the affected areas. Fires are still raging in some places, and on Saturday, three villages were evacuated from Mount Parnon above Sparta, while a successful operation was carried out to rescue firefighters who found themselves amid the flames, authorities reported. Five Canadair firefighting planes, two large BE-200 aircraft of Russian manufacture, and three helicopters are battling three fires in the area, while another eight Canadairs and 11 helicopters are in use over other fire-affected areas.
"We are with you and we will stay with you. We will do everything to support Greece," Barroso said after a two-hour helicopter tour of the Peloponnese, where he was accompanied by Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. "Greece’s problem is Europe’s problem. Now we must restore what has been destroyed," added the President of the EC, noting that the Commission is "ready to receive requests after the economic and ecological assessments necessary to open aid funds," but without specifying concrete amounts.
On Friday, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Huebner announced that the EU would release up to 600 million euros this year to assist Greece in dealing with the aftermath of the fires, of which 200 million will come from the Solidarity Fund created in 2002 specifically for the rapid response to major disasters. (Hina)
