[ERT]
The Municipality of Dodoni in northwestern Greece is appealing to the state authorities to remove a burnt truck packed with potentially hazardous chemicals that has been abandoned in the village of Tyria, nearly 10 days after it was destroyed by fire on the Egnatia Highway.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the local authority is warning that the charred remains of the truck, which contained materials used in the production of soaps and detergents, pose a serious environmental and public health hazard, as the truck has been dumped near a playground, a restaurant and a river, with barrels of chemicals exposed to the elements.
Residents have already reported seeing foam and dead fish in the Tyria River, believed to be caused by chemical leaks during the operation to extinguish the blaze.
Despite repeated appeals for intervention, neither the relevant agencies nor the transport company responsible for the cargo have taken action to clean up the site and assess the impact on the environment.
Dodoni Mayor Christos Dakaletsis has filed a complaint with the Tyria police department, warning of the risk of further river pollution if heavy rains wash the chemicals into the water, ERT reported on Thursday.
The Tyria is a tributary of the Thyamis River, which flows into the Ionian Sea.