Greece appoints new minister to handle wildfire aftermath

Burnt hillsides are seen following a wildfire near the village of Pefki on the island of Evia, Greece, August 12, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday appointed a new minister in charge of recovery from natural disasters in a bid to defuse growing anger over the struggle to curb wildfires that have charred thousands of hectares of forest.

Mitsotakis has this week apologised for delays in the firefighting effort while defending his government's action and authorising a 500-million-euro ($586.95 million) relief package.