In Brief
KORONEIA PROBE
Prosecutor investigates slow progress of work to protect lake A Thessaloniki prosecutor yesterday launched a preliminary investigation into the state of Lake Koroneia after more than 200 birds were found dead there. Chief prosecutor Vassilis Floridis wants to find out why a project to restore and protect the lake has been delayed, even though some 24 million euros of funding has been made available for the scheme. Floridis intends to ask Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis to testify as part of the investigation. According to initial tests, the birds were killed by a combination of toxic cyanobacteria whose concentration has increased due to the low water levels and pollution in the lake. TRAFFICKER KILLED Migrant smuggler dies in car crash, nine immigrants in vehicle injured A suspected human trafficker has been killed and two illegal immigrants were seriously hurt while another seven suffered minor injuries after a high-speed chase in Thessaloniki, police said yesterday. The incident occurred late on Wednesday when a patrol car began chasing a car that was carrying nine migrants. The trafficker driving the vehicle refused to stop. The driver then went through a red light and crashed into another car. The driver of the other car was injured and taken to the hospital. LYCABETTUS FIRE Blaze on Athens hill put out quickly Firefighters put out a blaze that started burning trees on Lycabettus Hill, in central Athens, before it spread to a nearby park, authorities said yesterday. Officials said the area had been cleared of dry grass and rubbish during the summer by municipality workers to help reduce the risk of fire. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blaze which is believed likely to have been started by a discarded cigarette. Car-free day The Green Ecologists party criticized authorities in Athens for doing little to take part in European Mobility week, which concludes on Saturday with the European Car-Free Day. More than 1,300 European cities take part in the event but Athens is not officially one of them. The Green Ecologists suggested that the public transport system should operate 24 hours a day and that sidewalks should be at least 1.5 meters wide. Grate theft Thieves have stolen 39 iron sewer grates from the streets of eastern Thessaloniki in the last two weeks, the city’s water company EYATH said yesterday. The covers are not all the same size, which means that once they are stolen, EYATH must order replacements to be made. This takes at least 24 hours, so the drain is left uncovered during that time, posing a risk to passers-by and to cars. The thieves are believed to melt down the iron and sell it on to scrap merchants. Each grate weighs some 100 kilos and is worth about 30 euros. EYATH said that the grates might be ending up abroad. Residents protest About 100 residents from Kaisariani, eastern Athens, gathered in the area’s main square yesterday to protest the proposed construction of a culture center on Mt Hymettus. The center is expected to be built on the grounds surrounding the monastery that lies in the foothills of the mountain. Authorities said the auction for the construction project was postponed yesterday, for the second time in the last few months. Residents intend to plant trees in the planned construction area tomorrow as a symbolic form of protest against the project. Drug arrests Authorities found 80 kilos of cannabis in a vehicle abandoned after a car chase took place in Ioannina, northern Greece, police said yesterday. The car chase took place after the driver failed to stop at a police checkpoint. He initially escaped arrest but was later detained when police arrested the owner of the vehicle, who then identified the driver. Separately, a 27-year-old police guard in Thessaloniki was arrested for possessing small quantities of drugs, police said. The unidentified guard was reported to authorities by passers-by for drug posession after he had fallen ill in his vehicle. Suspected dealer A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Trikala, central Greece, on suspicion of dealing drugs, police said yesterday. The unnamed suspected was caught in possession of small amounts of heroin and ecstasy.
