In Brief
On-the-job fatality
Worker killed in blast while painting boiler in central Greece A 30-year-old Albanian worker was killed yesterday in an explosion at a factory that makes boilers where he had been working in Karditsa, central Greece. The 30-year-old is said to have been painting a boiler at the time of the blast, whose cause was unclear. Local police were questioning the managers of the firm yesterday. Thessaloniki drowning Police appeal for identity clues Coast guard officials in Thessaloniki yesterday were appealing for information about a man, believed to be aged around 30, whose drowned body was recovered from the Thermaic Gulf not far from the stretch in front of the Makedonia Palace Hotel. The victim is about 1.80 centimeters tall and had been wearing blue striped bermuda shorts, a black vest and beach slippers. Police have called for anyone who believes they might know the identity of the man to contact them on 2310.531.504/5/7 or 2310.531.645. Drug haul A 31-year-old Albanian national on Saturday faced an Athens prosecutor after police confiscated nearly 100 grams of cocaine following a search of his home in the district of Halandri. His arrest followed that of a compatriot, aged 30, late on Friday following the discovery of a significant quantity of cocaine, as well as weighing scales, at his home in Kallithea. A 53-year-old Greek man was also arrested in connection with the Kallithea haul. Factory charred Firefighters yesterday afternoon managed to bring under partial control a large fire that had broken out on Saturday night in a paper factory near the village of Gefyra, near Thessaloniki. No one was injured in the blaze which caused serious damage to the premises of the factory, destroying thousands of tons of paper which fueled the flames. Four fire engines remained on standby yesterday to tackle a possible rekindling of the blaze whose cause was unclear. Matches postponed Two Greek Super League matches were postponed yesterday because of the forest fires in the northeastern suburbs of Athens. Defending champion Olympiakos had been scheduled to play AEK Athens at the Olympic Stadium and Panionios had been set to play PAOK in the district of Nea Smyrni. Organizers said new dates would be announced for both games in due course. The weekend’s other games went ahead as scheduled with the highlight being Panathinaikos’s 3-0 win over Ergotelis on Crete. Road death A motorist was killed on the country road between Tripoli and Kalamata yesterday after a driver in the opposite lane lost control of his truck and crashed into his vehicle. The truck also crashed into a second vehicle whose driver sustained minor injuries. It was unclear whether the truck driver was hurt. US Embassy The consular section of the United States Embassy in Athens will remain closed to the public on Wednesday, August 26, for internal administrative reasons. The closure affects the embassy’s visa units, federal benefits unit, American citizen services unit, and the passport unit.
