Attica mayors rally to Aegina's aid over trash

Ten municipal authorities in Attica on Thursday responded to a cry for help from Aegina, sending garbage trucks and crews to clear the holiday island's streets of piles of trash that have appeared since the beginning of August.

"We asked for help from the Regional Association of Attica Municipalities as well as individual mayors and the response was really very touching," said Aegina Mayor Dimitris Mourtzis, who has come under fire for the situation on the island at peak season.

The fleet arrived at Aegina port from the mainland aboard a ferry at 11 a.m. to applause and cheers from residents and visitors, and departed late in the afternoon. "The island is now squeaky clean," Mourtzis said.

The mayor argues that the trash pileup is due to the Attica Regional Authority's refusal to charter a ferry boat to transfer trash from the island to the mainland. The regional...