“The fire in Mati was an inconceivable tragedy for a modern, well-governed state. Two years later we have not forgotten and we will never be able to forget,” said the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Sakellaropoulou attended the memorial service held for the souls of the 102 victims, at the Holy Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in Mati.
The wildfires that devastated the seaside town on July 23, 2018, left the entire Greek nation and the world in a state of shock.
“Each time we recall those tragic days of the fire, we feel pain for those who were lost and, at the same time, deep respect for the dignity with which simple citizens faced the loss of their loved ones, the devastation of their homes, the sweeping away of their daily lives. We very deeply feel our responsibility toward them,” she added.
A prayer was also conducted at Argyra Akti, the beach where many perished to trying to escape the inferno.
“We are here to declare our solidarity with the fire victims, to underline the need for substantive protection of our natural and urban environment from natural disasters but chiefly and primarily to honour the memory of those so unfairly lost,” she said.
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