Armenia Catholicos, President express condolences over Greece fire

PanArmenian, Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II has sent a letter of condolences to Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II over the deadly wildfires sweeping through a Greek resort town, which killed at least 60 people.

In a letter of his own, President Armen Sarkissian addressed his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos to express his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of those who perished and wished a quick recovery to the injured.

The Armenian Embassy in Greece said no Armenians were among the casualties of the wildfires.

The Embassy posted telephone numbers on Tuesday, July 24 and encouraged people to contact the embassy employees in case they had any information about Armenian citizens injured by the fire in Attica and other regions of Greece.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia on Monday and returned to Athens to preside over an emergency response meeting with fire chiefs and government officials.

In total at least 60 people died, Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of nearby Rafina-Pikermi, said.

It was unclear how many people remained unaccounted for as coastguard vessels combed beaches to find any remaining survivors, with military hospitals on full alert, a government spokesman said.

One of the youngest victims was thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation, officials said. Of the 156 people injured, 11 were in intensive care, they added.

Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.

Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2018/07/25/armenia-catholicos-president-express-condolences-over-greece-fire/

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS