At least 50 dead, 156 injured in forest fires near Athens
At least 50 people have died and 156 have been injured in forest fires raging near Athens, the Greek Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday.
At least 50 people have died and 156 have been injured in forest fires raging near Athens, the Greek Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday, EFE reports.
Emergency services said that 11 of the injured were in a critical condition, while warning that the casualty toll was expected to increase as authorities continued to receive reports of missing people.
Most of the fatalities are due to people becoming trapped inside their homes or vehicles by the flames, while others drowned in the sea attempting to flee the blaze.
Authorities were struggling to contain the out of control fires, which were made worse by high winds on Monday.
The fires have devastated many properties, prompting people in several towns to evacuate.
In addition to three separate blazes in the region of Attica, near Athens, firefighters were tackling fires raging across the country, particularly in Corinth, on the Peloponnese peninsula, and on the island of Crete.
A state of emergency has been declared, and Greece has asked the European Union for assistance.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday cut short a trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina to monitor the situation from a coordination center in the municipality of Eleusis, West Attica.
His ruling Syriza party announced on Tuesday that all scheduled media appearances have been cancelled "to deal with the disaster in the next critical hours".
Source: Kazinform News Agency
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
relevant news
8th-grader plunges from fourth floor window in Astana
An eighth-grader jumped out of a fourth-floor window in the school lyceum no.72 in the Kazakh capital of Astana, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports citing the health and education department of the city.
On April 17, an eighth-grader climbed out of a fourth-floor window in the school lyceum no.72. An ambulance was called immediately to the scene; the child is in the hospital, said the department.
The child sustained a brain concussion, thorax and abdominal injuries, right forearm and right tibia fractures. His condition is regarded as stable. The child is under medical supervision.
A criminal investigation into the accident has been launched.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Over 12,000 people evacuated in N Kazakhstan due to massive floods
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Flood situation remains complicated in the North Kazakhstan region, according to Yevgeny Zhuravlyov, press secretary of the local emergencies department, Kazinform News Agency reports.
In his words, the Sergeyev Water Reservoir is full at 149%. Water overflow across the dam crest is 2 meters 61 centimeters. Water level has decreased by 9 centimeters in a day.
He said that water level on the Yessil River is raising, due to which settlements of Kyzylzhar district and some areas of Petropavlovsk city have been flooded.
2,401 residential buildings, 1,115 courtyards remain flooded. 12,235 people including 2,919 children were evacuated in the region. 1,890 people including 591 children have been evacuated in the past day. 26 adults and 8 children have returned their homes, while 12,191 people remain evacuated. 3,590 farm animals were taken to a safe area," he said.
The worst hit areas are Teplichnoye, Pribrezhnoye villages in Kyzylzhar district, where 565 residential buildings have been flooded, and 2,287 people have been evacuated.
In the past 24 hours, water has already reached Bolshaya Malyshka, Sokolovka, Vishnyovka, Olshanka villages, where 317 residential buildings have been flooded. 1,562 people including 299 children have been evacuated.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Over 111,000 Kazakhstanis rescued from flooded areas in Kazakhstan
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Rescuers have evacuated 111,194 people including 39,222 children in Kazakhstan since the onset of flooding period, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Flood-relieve efforts involve 33,334 people and 4,066 vehicles as well as 835 water pumps, 275 boats and 11 aircraft.
9.5 million cubic meters of water were pumped out. 2.2 million sandbags and 1.2 million tons of inert materials were prepared.
5,400 houses, 1,607 household territories and 2,035 summer houses remain flooded in five regions. Water was pumped out from 3,503 houses and 2,157 households," Yerassyl Saipash, chief officer of the Civil Defense Committee of the Ministry of Emergencies, said a briefing today.
State of emergency of local scale was declared in settlements of Aktobe, Kostanay, West Kazakhstan, Akmola, Karaganda, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan and Ulytau districts.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
99,920 evacuated from flooded areas in Kazakhstan
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Emergency Situations Ministry of Kazakhstan has issued the information on the flood situation in the country as of 5:00pm, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the Ministry, 99,920 people, including 36,593 children, were evacuated due to floods across the country.
10,015 people returned their homes.
As of 5:00pm, 6,566 people, including 3,194 kids, were accommodated in temporary shelters.
9 million 089 thousand cubic meters of meltwater were pumped away, 1.6 million sack tares or 1.2 million tons of inert material were laid.
Floodwater was diverted from 3,071 houses and 1,931 courtyards.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Almost 100,000 rescued from flooded areas in Kazakhstan
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The number of flood-affected victims in Kazakhstan surpassed 97,000, including 32,000 children. 3679 adults and 3494 children were accommodated in temporary evacuation shelters as of today morning, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies.
The emergency services pumped out 8.8 million cubic meters of meltwater and laid more than 1.4 million sandbags and 1.1 million inert materials. Relief efforts involve more than 27,000 people, nearly 3,000 vehicles and 15 aircraft," said Yerassyl Saipash, chief officer of the Civil Defense Committee of the Ministry of Emergencies.
He reminded that state of emergency at the local scale was declared in Aktobe, Kostanay, West Kazakhstan, Akmola, Karaganda, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan, and Ulytau regions.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Floods in Kazakhstan: over 82,000 farm animals moved to safer places
Images | primeminister.kz
96,472 people, including 31,640 children, were rescued since the outbreak of floods throughout Kazakhstan, Kazinform News Agency quotes senior officer of the civil defence and military units committee of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry Yerassyl Saipash as saying.
2,823 people, including 865 kids, were airlifted from flood-hit regions. 7,605 people, including 3,474 children are staying at the temporary shelters. Over 82,500 farm animals were moved to safer places, he told a briefing.
167,935 kg of humanitarian aid was delivered to the flood-stricken regions.
Over 8.5 million tons of meltwater was pumped away, 1.3 million bags full of sand, and 1.1 million tons of internet materials were placed to reduce flood damage. Water was pumped out of 2,750 homes and 1,816 household plots.
24,295 people, 2,655 pieces of equipment, 469 motor pumps, 139 floating crafts, and 10 aircraft are deployed in flood relief operations.
As of now 3,444 homes, and 366 household plots in five regions, namely, Atyrau, Aktobe, Akmola, Kostanay and North Kazakhstan are still flooded.
8 bridges and roads were washed away by floodwaters across Kazakhstan.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Risk of flooding remains in 219 settlements in N Kazakhstan
Images | primeminister.kz
The flood situation remains challenging in North Kazakhstan region, deputy governor Kanat Duzelbayev said during a briefing at the Central Communications Service, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to the regional authority, presently the Sergeevskiy dam is 182% full. There are no blockages on the floodplain of the Yessil River. The overflow at the dam stands at 425 centimeters.
The threat of flooding remains in three districts and the city of Petropavlovsk. The flood situation is under constant control. The region is still covered with snow by 30%. There is a threat of inundation in 219 settlements. 13 homes out of the 40 have been flooded. 286 people have been evacuated, 44 have returned home. 111 courtyards have been inundated, said Duzelbayev.
177 personnel, 27 vehicles, 10 vessels and 48 motor pumps of the emergency situations ministry were sent to the region from Turkestan, Karaganda and Pavlodar regions. An additional 313 personnel of the defense ministry arrived in the region.
59 overflows have been reported on roads of the region… Works are ongoing to pump away melt water. 181km of irrigation ditches have been cleaned, 105.7km of canals expanded and deepened, 80 thousand sand tars prepared and 41 thousand sack tares laid, said the deputy governor of North Kazakhstan region.
1,874 personnel, 1,154 volunteers, 286 vehicles, 146 motor pumps and 20 vessels are engaged in the flood control activities in the region. Life-support facilities run as usual in the region.
Work is ongoing to reinforce the protective embarkment around the city of Petropavlovsk and the settlements of Kyzylzhar district.
Earlier it was reported that decline in the level of water was observed on the hydroposts in North Kazakhstan region.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.