Greek civil protection head resigns after deadly forest fire
Greek civil protection head resigns after deadly forest fire
06 August 2018
Published by https://abcnews.go.com/
GREECE – Greece’s civil protection chief has resigned two weeks after a forest fire ravaged a seaside region near Athens, causing at least 91 deaths and battering the government’s credibility.
Yiannis Kapakis stepped down Monday, following the replacement over the weekend of the heads of the country’s police and fire service.
For days after the July 23 inferno, Greece’s left-led government had denied any mishandling of the response effort, claiming authorities did their best.
The public order minister, Nikos Toskas, argued that despite much soul-searching he had been unable to detect any major mistakes. But following intense criticism from opposition parties, Toskas resigned Friday, and senior officials under his supervision followed suit.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway.
