Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-28

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Battle against wildfires continues for fifth day; death toll at 64

[01] Battle against wildfires continues for fifth day; death toll at 64

Three new worrying wildfires, coming on the heels of scores of blazes recorded around the east Mediterranean country since Thursday, were in coastal Syvota township in extreme northwest Greece - Thesprotia prefecture - at the Agathoto site in the northern Florina border prefecture and at the Grammatiko site in eastern Attica prefecture.

A serious wildfire continued to burn at the Setta site in large Evia island, which was ravaged by wildfires in the Styra district to the south, and around the town of Aliveri, in central Evia.

Military units have joined the fire brigade, seasonal forest fire-fighters and volunteers to battle the blazes, as a sizable contingent of fire-firefighting aircraft from abroad - France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, among others - along with fire-fighters from Cyprus, France and Israel have been thrown into the battle.

The official death toll from the wildfires has risen to 63, although it may possibly increase in the next few days, as a handful of individuals in the fire-stricken areas remain unaccounted for.

On a slightly more positive note, the historic archaeological site at ancient Olympia again opened its doors on Tuesday in tandem with emergency restoration works around the site's wooden areas in the wake of a wildfire that ringed Olympia on Sunday.

Caption: A volunteer forest ranger looks out over a wooden area atop Mt. Hymettus -- which faces the greater Athens area from the east -- on Monday, Aug. 27, 2007, as stepped up patrols and monitoring of the country's forests are in place amid a destructive wave of wildfires. ANA-MPA / O. PANAGIOTOU.

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