PM calls emergency cabinet meeting in wake of deadly fires

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday called an emergency meeting of his cabinet later in the day to discuss the wildfires that have claimed more than 80 lives in Attica.

The cabinet meeting takes place amid growing calls from the opposition for the leftist-led government to step down.

At a press conference on Thursday, government officials tried to play down criticism of its handling of the disaster, suggesting that there were “serious indications” that the fire on Mount Pendeli was the result of arson.

The fire department’s special arson section, which probes all major fires, was conducting the investigation to determine how the wildfire started. The cause of the blaze has not been established.