Greek firemen recover body of man killed in Athens suburb wildfire

Greek firemen recovered on Saturday the scorched body of a man at the foot of Imittos mountain at the eastern Athens suburb of Kareas a day after a destructive wildfire, local authorities said.

The victim has not been identified, but police said that the wife of a 47-year-old Greek policeman has reported her spouse missing since Friday noon when the fire broke out. The missing police officer used to hike in the mountain and his car was found parked nearby.

A 58 years old Greek man died of heart attack after respiratory problems due to the smoke in the fire front of Neapolis in the southern Peloponnese peninsula, 360 kilometers south of Athens, on Friday.

Greek firefighters battled 80 wildfires across Greece on Friday and early Saturday which burned or damaged at least four dozen houses, farmland and forested zones.

Greek authorities have launched investigations into the causes of all the fires, while two beekeepers, a 67 years old Greek and a 58 years old Bulgarian national have been detained as suspects for the wildfires at Kareas. The two men were believed to have started the blaze by mistake.

Greece suffers each summer from destructive wildfires which are linked to scorching temperatures and arson in many cases.

In the worst wildfires that struck the Balkans over 80 people died during major wildfires across Greece. Endit