A Greek appeals court has found 10 individuals guilty of misdemeanour charges related to a devastating 2018 wildfire that claimed 104 lives.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, has sparked outrage among relatives of the victims of the blaze, which stands as the country’s worst wildfire disaster in recent memory.
The court affirmed a previous verdict from a lower court last year, while also ordering the conviction of four additional people on misdemeanour charges, including involuntary manslaughter, according to legal sources. Those convicted include former fire brigade officials and an individual accused of arson.
However, eleven people, including regional governors, were acquitted.
The sentences for those convicted are expected to be announced on Wednesday. The penalty for a misdemeanour may include a suspended prison sentence or a jail term with the option of paying a fine..
The blaze that ripped through the seaside town of Mati, about 27 km (17 miles) east of the capital Athens, in July 2018 killed 104 people and injured dozens.
Most of those killed were caught in a maze of thickly-forested streets as they tried to flee in their cars.”
Such a horrible disaster so badly handled and it’s being treated as a misdemeanour. That’s far too lenient. It’s sad,” said Alexandros Papasteriopoulos, a lawyer representing relatives of the dead.
Survivors and relatives released black balloons and held white roses during the trial to honour those killed. They shouted “shame” when the verdict was announced.
The disaster cast a pall over the then-leftist Syriza government, with survivors accusing authorities of botching rescue attempts. Authorities dismissed the accusations, saying that erratic winds fuelling the flames meant there was no time for coordinated action.
Devastating wildfires have become more frequent in Mediterranean countries. Scientists attribute their frequency and intensity to the increasingly hot and dry weather conditions linked to climate change.
