In Brief
City shooting
Pedestrian, 50, hit by stray bullet in migrant dispute A 50-year-old man was hospitalized early yesterday after being hit in the leg by a bullet, fired by a Kurdish immigrant who is believed to have been aiming at an Albanian migrant on a motorcycle. According to police, the gunman had been in a car with another Kurdish migrant when he opened fire at the Albanian on the motorcycle close to Pedion tou Areos, in central Athens. But the bullet missed the target and hit a 50-year-old pedestrian in the leg instead. The shot was heard by police in a nearby patrol car, who chased the perpetrators and eventually arrested them. Burner explosion Apartment blast causes damage An oil burner in the basement of a newly built, unoccupied apartment block in Serres, northern Greece, caused serious damage but no injuries on Saturday evening. The blast, which was reportedly heard across the whole city, sent thick shards of glass and other debris flying several meters, wrecking cars parked nearby. The elderly patrons of an adjacent cafe were not injured, according to police who had not determined the cause of the blast by late yesterday. Baby deaths The Alexandra Hospital in Athens is to be subject to an inspection following the deaths of four infants who contracted Serratia marcescens, an infectious and harmful type of bacteria, it emerged yesterday. The four infants, who died over the past week in the hospital’s maternity clinic, had all been prematurely born, sources said. Another three infants at the same hospital believed to have been infected by the same bug were yesterday in a stable condition and are likely to pull through, the same sources reported. Missing swimmer A coast guard vessel and Super Puma rescue helicopter were dispatched on Saturday afternoon to locate a 40-year-old man believed to have gone swimming off the coast of Oropos, northern Attica, earlier in the day. There had been no sign of the man by late last night. Proastiakos disruption Engineering work on the Proastiakos suburban railway will cause disruption between Piraeus and Kiato from today through Saturday. The works, taking place at Treis Gefyres station, will mean that trains will terminate at Ano Liosia station instead of Piraeus. A replacement bus service, using the bus numbers A12 and B12, will be available for commuters who can call 1110 for more information. Anti-racism protest Two police officers were injured and 10 people detained on Saturday after a protest rally by immigrants and members of anti-racist groups outside a police station in Nikaia, Piraeus, turned violent. Around 100 people participated in the rally held to protest the death of a Pakistani immigrant who is alleged to have been beaten at the Nikaia police station earlier this month. Some of the protesters are said to have hurled petrol bombs and stones at the police station, causing minor injuries to two officers. Following the arrests, several demonstrators occupied the local mayor’s office but the sit-in was soon broken up.
