President Michael D. Higgins has written to the President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos to offer his sympathies on behalf of the people of Ireland following the events of the past 24 hours.
He spoke of the resilience of the Greek people, who need assistance and must be assisted by other EU countries in every way possible.
Wildfires have killed at least 74 people in the Mediterranean country since yesterday; 26 people died as they huddled together on a beach in Mati.
President Higgins said: “I have today written to the President of the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, to express my sympathies with the families of those who lost their lives and livelihoods in the tragic fires in the Attica region.
“Following my visit to Greece and my meeting with him and the Presidents of Italy and Portugal, I am very conscious of the resilience of the Greek people, who should be assisted by all of us in these difficult times.
“In the letter to President Pavlopoulos I offered, on behalf of the people of Ireland, our deepest condolences and our solidarity.”
Our condolences with Greece at this difficult time. Irish citizens in region should keep up to date with local media + follow advice of Greek authorities in affected areas. Irish citizens affected can contact Irish Embassy in Athens +30 210 723 2771 or my Dept +353 1 408 2000.
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) July 24, 2018
Devastated to see this tragedy unfold in my beloved home country.
Greece, I love you so much. Mourning the loss of human life, nature and people’s homes with you. It’s so painful to see i don’t know what else to say. 🇬🇷— Marina (@MarinaDiamandis) July 24, 2018
Fire also dropped us … humanity … it requires
Greece to the fire disaster:
At least 50 dead, 150 woundedget past #Greece #Yunanistan #PrayForAthens#24Temmuz #WeAreWithÖzil pic.twitter.com/M0THnySiOX
— Selcan Can (@selcancan123) July 24, 2018
