Greek authorities are investigating the theory that the fire was caused by fireworks launched from the superyacht Persefoni I. And the media received information that there were well-known citizens of Kazakhstan on board, who left the country the next day on a private plane.
The fire covered an area of 300 thousand square meters on the rocky island of Hydra. During the height of the heat season in Greece, you need to take extra care.
The arson unit arrested 13 crew members from Greece on Saturday, June 22, according to the local fire department. None of the guests of the luxury yacht, which can be rented for a week for 250 thousand euros, were detained.
“The municipality is waiting for the outcome of the investigation to take action against all those responsible and demand compensation,” Hydra Mayor Giorgos Koukoudakis told OCCRP’s Greek partner Inside Story.
According to the list of passengers obtained by journalists, among the guests of the yacht Persefoni I were seven citizens of Kazakhstan, including Daniyar Abulgazin, one of the richest Kazakhstanis.
Flight data shows that the day after the fire, a private jet that Abulgazin regularly used took off from Athens airport for Almaty.
Satellite data shows that the M-DADA aircraft took off from Greece to Kazakhstan on June 22, 2024
Abulgazin did not respond to phone calls or messages asking for comment on the situation on WhatsApp and Telegram.
According to the list of passengers, also on board were Abulgazin’s son and his wife Aidan Suleimenova, who heads one of the largest charitable organizations in Kazakhstan, as well as her deputy.
Among the guests was Umut Shayakhmetova, general director of the People’s Bank of Kazakhstan. In addition, her husband Beimbet Shayakhmetov, a former top manager of the national oil company KMG International NV, and their daughter were on the list of passengers.
OCCRP sent a request for comment from Suleimenova and Shayakhmetova, but neither had responded by the time of publication.
Abulgazin and Shayakhmetova are closely linked to businessman Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of ex-President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led Kazakhstan for 30 years and stepped down in 2019.
OCCRP previously described how the ex-president hid huge assets in a network of charitable foundations. During the time that he was in power, his family and friends became much richer.
Abulgazin worked as Kulibayev’s deputy in the state sovereign wealth fund, and was also his partner in several companies. Shayakhmetova works in a bank owned by Kulibayev.
According to ship tracking data, the yacht carrying the Kazakh citizens was off the far coast of Hydra at the time of the fire, although Greek officials have not publicly blamed the yacht’s passengers for the arson.
Satellite images showing burned forest on Hydra (right)
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said authorities spoke to witnesses who suggested the fire may have been started by fireworks.
“According to testimony, some individuals used flares or fireworks to burn 300,000 square meters [of forest] in Hydra and put [people’s lives] in danger,” he said in an interview with Greek television channel Open TV.
“This has to be proven during the preliminary investigation and interrogations,” Kikilias added.
Mayor Koukoudakis told reporters that firefighters stopped the fire before it destroyed the only pine forest on the island. They were helped by the wind, which blew the flames in the opposite direction.
“If the thick pine forest had caught fire, it would still be burning,” he said. “The island would have burned from coast to coast.
