Greek fire toll 93 as 2 more die

ATHENS: The death toll from Greece’s deadliest fire disaster rose to 93 on Thursday after two more people died in hospital. The latest casualty was a 78-year-old woman, state TV ERT said. An 83-year-old man died on Wednesday. Another 34 people are still hospitalised after the July 23 wildfire in the coastal resort of Mati, six of them in critical condition. Four senior officials including the minister responsible for the police and the heads of the police and fire brigade have been removed from their posts. Earlier Thursday, a list compiled by the civil protection authority said the victims included 44 women — now 45 — 35 men, 11 children and two still-unidentified persons. The government had insisted that with winds blowing at speeds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) an hour, there was little time to mount an effective evacuation. It later emerged that the police had failed to properly seal off the area because the fire brigade had not alerted them to the location and size of the blaze.