A revealing report

The findings of a recent report by three prosecutors on last summer’s east Attica wildfires that claimed 100 lives constitutes a scathing exposure of the cynical cover-up campaign that followed the deadly event.

It also constitutes a record – similar to a black box – of a systemic breakdown which shows that the blame for how the fires were handled does not rest with just one irresponsible person, but was also the result of structural failings in the country’s disaster prevention and control mechanism.

The report on the fires should be utilized not just to bring individuals or organizations to justice, but also as a guide as to how to fix the problems that caused so much devastation. It is the duty of every self-respecting state to learn from its mistakes, and failure to do so will only compound the tragedy.