In Brief
SCOUTS CRITICAL
Two boys and one girl remain in Iraklio hospital after accident Three members of a scouts group from Crete two boys and one girl, aged 11 to 13 were in critical condition in an Iraklio hospital yesterday after sustaining serious injuries when a motorist crashed into them, and several other children, at a bus stop near Ierapetra. The girl’s condition is of particular concern, as she sustained serious head injuries, while the boys have multiple fractures. Police are questioning the 20-year-old foreigner who was driving the car. It is believed that he had been trying to overtake a motorcycle when he lost control of the vehicle. Another 11 children who were hit sustained less serious injuries. AIR POLLUTION Ozone reaches warning levels Readings of ground-level ozone, which indicates how much air pollution there is, exceeded warning – and in some case emergency – levels in several parts of Athens yesterday, the Public Works and Environment Ministry said. Fueled by the sunny weather and low winds, ground-level ozone reached up to 218 micrograms per cubic meter in the northern suburb of Maroussi when the warning limit is 180 mg/m3. In Lykovrisi, northern Athens, it reached 246 mg/m3 with an emergency limit of 240. In Peristeri, western Athens, ground-level ozone reached 250 mg/m3. Fires tackled A wildfire broke out yesterday near the town of Aigio in the northern Peloponnese yesterday. Six fire engines, two water-dropping planes and a helicopter were needed to put out the blaze, which was burning in an inaccessible part of the countryside. A smaller fire also broke out near Markopoulou, southeast of Athens, yesterday but was put out with the help of 45 firefighters. A wildfire also scorched an area of low vegetation in the area of Makrinitsa, in Pilio, but was soon put out by the fire service. Armed raids Police in Attica yesterday were seeking the perpetrators of two armed raids in the resort of Anavyssos, near Sounio. The first robbery was carried out by three gunmen who cornered a security firm employee, forced him out of an armored vehicle and grabbed a bag containing 190,000 euros. A few hours later, two gunmen held up a post office, fleeing with an unspecified sum. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Larissa, central Greece, two men netted 13,000 euros in a raid on a branch of National Bank. In the western port of Patra, police were questioning a man in connection to a raid on an ATEbank branch there. Factory death A 67-year-old security guard at a factory in Nea Aghialos, near the central town of Volos, sustained fatal injuries late on Monday when a large metal gate fell on top of him. It appears that the guard had been trying to close the entrance gate when it came off its hinges and knocked him to the ground. The man was transferred to the hospital in Volos where he died a few hours later. The exact circumstances of the incident were unclear. Drugs haul Officers of Thessaloniki’s narcotics unit yesterday detained two men, aged 35 and 36, after confiscating more than 16 kilos of heroin in their possession. According to the unit’s official statistics, last month alone 175 people were arrested in the broader Thessaloniki area on drug-related charges.
