Arson attack in Thessaloniki: Aphrodite Nestora describes the night she lost her mother
Four people have been arrested over the arson attack on the apartment building of lawyer Aphrodite Nestora in Thessaloniki, during which her mother lost her life.
"They were burning us alive": The night of the arson attack in Thessaloniki as recounted by Aphrodite Nestora
Four people have been arrested for the arson attack on an apartment building in Thessaloniki, during which Vagia Nestora lost her life. Her daughter, lawyer and New Democracy politician Aphrodite Nestora, spoke on the Face2Face programme with Katerina Panagopoulos and, as reported by Ta Nea, described the accused as "ordinary murderers" who "come from respectable families in Thessaloniki".
"1 July, 4.30 in the morning". With these words Nestora captures the moment when her life changed forever. A powerful explosion at the entrance of the apartment building where she lives in Thessaloniki triggered a fire and dense smoke that spread throughout the entire building. According to the investigation file, the target of the attack was Nestora herself. Her mother lost her life, whilst Aphrodite and her father were taken to hospital.
Nestora sustained extensive burns to her upper and lower limbs, as well as inhalation burns. Her father experienced serious respiratory problems. "I would be lying to you if I said that after everything that has happened I am well", she says. "Since July I have not managed to sleep through an entire night".
Her mother was the one who first sensed something unusual. She heard the alarm on her daughter's car and woke her husband. "My mum insisted. It was as if something was calling her", says Nestora. Her father went downstairs, discovered the car was on fire and went back up to alert the two women. No one had suspected an organised attack.
Aphrodite Nestora dressed quickly and decided to go down first to find out what was happening, since her mother had recently undergone hip replacement surgery and was having difficulty using the stairs — the lift was not working as the electricity had been cut off. She went out into the street, called the police and immediately returned to the building to go up to the fourth floor. Her mother, out of fear for her daughter, followed her and reached the third floor, where she was later found by the ambulance service.
The extent of the explosive and flammable materials that had been placed at the entrance proved to be devastating. "They had placed small concrete blocks with petrol, they had placed small gelignite sticks soaked in flammable material", describes Nestora. "It was not just the lighter they had placed under the car". When journalist Panagopoulos commented "they wanted to kill you", the New Democracy politician replied: "Yes, they had that intention".
Nestora explains why she is certain of this: "Looking at the entire layout and how low the ground floor was, anyone could think that by placing so much explosive material under the car, all that smoke would not go anywhere except into the building. It actually reached up to the seventh floor — the entire apartment building was blackened".
Attempting to return to her flat to find her parents, Nestora managed to reach the second floor. The smoke there was suffocating. She turned towards the exit — and at that moment the second major explosion occurred. "As I was trying to leave the entrance of the building, the second major explosion happens right in front of me. I put my hands up to protect my face and the burns I have today occurred".
She was forced to turn back upwards, despite the choking smoke. "I was dying. I was seeing visions in front of me", she says. She was saved because she found an apartment door open on the fifth floor. She went out onto the balcony believing she had lost both her parents. "Inside the apartment building there was an atmosphere of war", she notes characteristically.
At the hospital, information about her parents was minimal. The condition of all three was described as extremely serious. Her mother did not survive. "The greatest scars", says Nestora, "are those that have been created inside me. They will never go away. They will follow me for the rest of my life".
Referring to the four people who have been arrested, Nestora states that among them are individuals from "respectable families in Thessaloniki", whilst expressing concern about society's tolerance towards violence. "I am here by chance", she says, emphasising that despite the difficulties she feels obliged to continue: "I wake up every morning and say that it is my duty to continue to do everything I did".
Source: Ta Nea