Severe penalties loom Crew of luxury yacht probably caused fire on Hydra

Fireworks are set off on a superyacht - next to the island of Hydra, where the only pine forest then goes up in flames. This now has consequences for several crew members.

The outrage is huge: "Lock them up!" demanded users on Greek social media and "Arson must be punished much more severely!" On the island of Hydra, the island's only pine forest had previously caught fire, presumably because the crew of a superyacht had set off fireworks for their guests or fired flares whose sparks ignited the dry vegetation. 13 crew members were provisionally arrested.

The people involved had tried to extinguish the fire on Friday evening, then called the fire department and made off, Greek media reported. Passing boats had observed the incident and also reported it to the authorities. When the almost 55-metre-long yacht "Persefoni" then docked in the Athens coastal suburb of Vouliagmeni, 13 crew members were arrested and the boat was detained and searched. According to media reports, 17 tourists from Kazakhstan were on board.

The outrage is particularly strong because strong winds have caused forest and bush fires in many places in Greece over the past week. The authorities are constantly warning people not to handle fire and sparks, not to barbecue in the open air or even to use tools for welding or cutting. A photo in the Greek media showing the luxury yacht on the dark sea in front of the burning forest is all the more shocking.

The mayor of the island was furious about the incident in a television interview. Regardless of the central authorities, the island community itself will also report those involved, he said. Meanwhile, the fire department was able to get the fire under control late in the evening using helicopters.

Heavy prison sentences threatened

The penalties for deliberate or negligent arson were significantly increased in Greece last year. In addition to fines in the five-figure range, prison sentences of up to ten years can now be imposed even for negligent arson. However, catching the perpetrators is difficult and rarely successful. Investigators were lucky in the case of a fire that broke out east of Athens last Wednesday: security cameras on neighboring properties recorded a man setting the fire and then running away.

The risk of forest fires remained high in several regions of central Greece throughout the weekend, according to the Greek Civil Defense. However, according to a fire department spokesperson on Sunday morning, most of the fires have been brought under control.

dpa