Luxury yacht crew charged for setting off fireworks that sparked Greek wildfire [View all]
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240624-luxury-yacht-crew-charged-for-setting-off-fireworks-that-sparked-greek-wildfire
Luxury yacht crew charged for setting off fireworks that sparked Greek wildfire
Greek prosecutors on Sunday charged 13 crew members of a luxury yacht accused of setting off fireworks that caused a major wildfire on an island near Athens, media reports said.
Issued on: 24/06/2024 - 09:19
Modified: 24/06/2024 - 09:21
1 min
By: NEWS WIRES
The crew will go on trial Wednesday on charges of causing a criminal fire, the ERT public broadcaster said.
A new surge in wildfires has put a spotlight on the case, and under recently toughened legislation the crew could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined up to 200,000 euros ($214,000).
The crew denied the charges, and prosecutors will not pursue charges against the 17 Kazakh passengers who were on the yacht on Friday night when the fireworks were set off, ERT said.
Some of the fireworks landed on the island of Hydra, starting a blaze that burned about 30 hectares (75 acres) of pine forest, according to the civil protection service.
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