Rafina-Pikermi

A 38-year-old man was remanded into custody on Tuesday after responding to arson charges over a fire in Rafina in eastern Attica last Saturday.

The suspect, identified as a Romanian national, reportedly denied starting the blaze and said that he was in the area because he had been trying to extinguish it. 

Over 30,000 excursionists are leaving Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio today

The lack of proper planning on the part of the state for the removal of waste and branches cleared from private plots of land has led to the creation of hundreds of potential fire sources around the country.

A total of 18 ferries were scheduled to depart from the port of Piraeus on full capacity for the Aegean islands and 32 for the islands of the Argosaronic Gulf on Friday, as the last of Easter travelers depart from Athens. 

Another 14 ferries are scheduled to depart from the port of Rafina and 10 from the port of Lavrio for the Aegean islands.

Today, 18 routes are scheduled from Piraeus, 32 to the islands of the Argosaronic Gulf, 14 from Rafina, and 10 from Lavrio

The ferries from Piraeus and Rafina will reach capacity of up to 80% during the Holy Week

A fatal car accident occurred early Tuesday morning in the eastern Athenian suburb of Pikermi.

Around 1:30 a.m., a vehicle driven by a 62-year-old lost control on Marathon Avenue for unknown reasons, veering off course and colliding with a concrete column.

The impact caused the car to burst into flames.

Athens will enforce traffic regulations this Sunday for the 41st Peace Marathon.

Between 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., there will be phased disruptions to vehicle traffic, along with no-parking and no-stopping zones on designated avenues and streets in Marathon - Nea Makri, Rafina - Pikermi, Pallini - Gerakas - Anthousa, Agia Paraskevi, Chalandri, and Psychiko - Filothei municipalities.

A prosecutor has recommended that nine out of the 21 defendants be found guilty in the trial regarding the response to the deadly fire that ripped through the East Attica suburb of Mati in July 2018.

The police's anti-drugs squad arrested on Wednesday a 22-year-old man at the port town of Rafina, eastern Attica, for carrying 600 grams of cannabis in a backpack. 

The drugs were hidden in a homemade package. The man, a foreign national, also lacked legal residence documents. 

Police said it is searching for a second suspect believed to be working with the 22-year-old.