Greek PM arrives at fire-ravaged Evia island

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday visited the Greek island of Evia where a huge wildfire prompted the evacuation of villages and spurred an appeal from authorities for assistance from European Union partners.

Mitsotakis was expected to visit the Fire Department’s Olympos (Olympus) mobile unit to be briefed on progress fighting the fire.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Greek premier met with European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides in Athens.

Mitsotakis thanked the Cypriot official for the European Union’s immediate contribution to the ongoing firefighting effort, while stressing the need for European solidarity in the face of natural disasters.

Stylianides said an Italian plane had already arrived in Greece and a second was on its way.

Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said authorities had “managed to protect people’s lives, for there to not be any human life lost, and to save the people's properties.”

Meanwhile, the European satellite mapping system Copernicus is helping to provide damage assessment maps of the affected areas.