Twin girls missing in Greek fires found dead embracing grandparents
Twin girls and their grandparents, missing in the Greek fires, have been found dead with the four of them locked in an embrace, a family friend said.
Sofia and Vasiliki Philippopoulos and their grandparents were among those who went missing during the deadly fires that raged through the coastal resort town of Mati, east of Athens.
The fires have claimed 91 lives, with 25 people still missing.
It was revealed on the weekend by a family friend the nine-year-old twins, Sofia and Vasiliki, had been found dead. It follows their father’s desperate search for his girls after he thought he saw them on a rescue boat in TV news footage last week.
Child welfare agency Smile of the Child also confirmed the twins had died in the fires.
Relative Angelo Kontos posted on Facebook: “The epilogue has been written. All 4 found hugging each other. Not even death could tear them apart.”
The twins’ father Yiannis Philipopoulos said early Wednesday that he and his wife recognised the nine-year-old girls in the TV news footage after they spent a fruitless day searching for them at area hospitals and law enforcement agencies.
He said the girls went missing along with their grandparents amid the fires that engulfed popular resort spots around Mati.
But the girls he spotted on TV reportedly belonged to another family. Mr Philipopoulos’ search highlighted the plight of many families looking for relatives.
He said in an appearance on the private television stations Skai and Alpha that the footage gave him hope that his children were alive.
Arson the likely cause of fires
The vast number of people who died in the fires were killed by flames, though a number drowned in the sea while fleeing the blaze.
As of Sunday, 59 victims had been identified. Greek authorities said they have reason to believe the fire resulted from arson, and turned so deadly because winds of up to 100km/h buffeted the pine-forested seaside resorts at the time
The Greek government has also been criticised for how buildings and roads were laid out in the area and an alleged lack of adequate preparation for the fire season.
More than 2000 homes were damaged in the fire and roughly a quarter will have to be demolished, Greek officials said on Friday.
