The captain of the yacht Persefoni I reportedly has admitted to setting off fireworks that caused a fire in Hydra, Greece in June.
According to the Greek television network Mega TV, the captain made the admission during a special hearing last week. He and one crewmember have been in jail on arson charges since June 26. The remaining 11 crewmembers are free on bail. Mega TV indicates that the captain stated, “Yes, we set off fireworks, I set them off,” on a rock near the beach. The 176-foot (53.8-meter) charter yacht was at anchor a short distance away.
Multiple additional Greek media report that the captain testified he purchased the fireworks to surprise the charter guests. The same reports also state that the captain said none of the crew was involved, and that one of the fireworks he set off fell onto an island slope.
The testimony by the captain of the yacht Persefoni I appears to confirm what a prosecutor previously claimed. That prosecutor says firefighters discovered remnants of flares or fireworks at the site of the fire. Additionally, the captain’s testimony corroborates what the primary charterer has previously said. Daniyar Abulgazin, one of Kazakhstan’s wealthiest individuals, released a statement on June 30 confirming the charter and denying involvement in the fire. “Neither I nor my guests asked the crew of the yacht or any other third parties to take any actions that could lead to a fire,” he says.
The fire occurred during the evening of June 21. Eyewitnesses informed the Hydra Port Authority that they saw fireworks just before flames broke out in Hydra’s only pine forest. Arson-unit investigators for the Hydra Fire Brigade arrested the captain and crew of the yacht Persefoni I based on these accounts on June 22. They appeared before a judge in a Piraeus court on June 26, all denying any wrongdoing. Days later, prosecutors additionally charged the eight Kazakh charter guests with complicity in arson. However, those guests departed Greece, with permission, on June 22.
Although fireworks are legal in Greece, they’re prohibited from use during the summer because of the risk of fire. Penalties for deliberate arson and arson related to negligence include prison sentences up to 20 years. They can carry fines up to €200,000, too.
We reached out to Persefoni I’s management company, Salaminia Yachting, for commentary. No one responded by press time. However, in June, a spokesperson issued a statement to the Athens News Agency. In it, the company says it has “absolute confidence in the integrity and sincerity of the crew members.”
Leave a Reply