Fisherman Kostas Arvanitis, the hero who rescued 70 people during the deadly fires in Mati in July 2018 passed away over the weekend. He was 70 years old and was fighting against cancer.
There should be a small birthday party on 23. July 2018 with family and a few friends. Instead of celebrating, Arvanitis, a resident in neighboring Nea Makri, did not hesitate a minute to take his fishing boat and rush to save dozens of people stranded on the shores, trapped or swimming in the sea to escape the hazardous flames.
On board, his wife Chryssa, son Dimitris and Egyptian employee Mahmout Messafer. One by one, they helped desperate people come onboard and brought them to safety.
An experience that went down to his bones.
Even though he was fighting for his own life, the sensible man posted on the anniversary of the Mati fire and explained why he did not talk much about the rescue operation:
“I was unable to manage pain, despair and sorrow to my fellow men and women, but also to all the aniamls that burned alive on that day.”
“As the days of this anniversary were approaching, I felt a gap in my chest grow. My birthday and my feeling instead of being in festive mood look more like a memorial. I haven’t talked much about what I experienced that night as I couldn’t handle pain, despair, sympathy for my fellow human beings, but also for the pets and the stray animals that I put on my boat together with my family and my sailor.”
Kostas Arvanitis posted a video from that dreadful night…
If I am not wrong, I think it was his son who told media “Life is unfair. He saved dozens of lives but he could not save his own.”
Arvanitis will be buried at the expenses of the state, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided.
