The day also brought a string of emergencies closer to home for millions in the Mediterranean region.
In Cyprus, a second person was confirmed dead following the collapse of an apartment building, with cranes deployed to stabilize sections of the structure that were at risk of further collapse. In Turkey, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck 22 kilometers south of Simav, shaking surrounding provinces, though no serious damage was initially reported. And in Athens, a fierce fire broke out on the fifth floor of a building in the Nea Smyrni neighborhood just before 8 p.m. Twenty-one firefighters and six vehicles, including a specialized ladder truck, responded to the blaze as authorities searched for a missing resident. Flames threatened to spread to an adjacent building.
On a more hopeful note, the Holy Light arrived in Athens from Jerusalem, transported from the airport to the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in the Plaka neighborhood. Eighteen flights were scheduled to distribute the flame to parishes across mainland and island Greece in time for Orthodox Easter celebrations.
