Latest news with #Roussos
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
'Saffie is so much more than youngest bomb victim'
The parents of Saffie Roussos want their daughter to be remembered as "something much more than the youngest victim" of the Manchester Arena bombing. Saffie was just eight years old when she was killed - along with 21 others - when a bomb was detonated at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. Her parents Andrew and Lisa Roussos, from Leyland, Lancashire, have written a book, sharing how they turned their grief into a story of hope. Mr Roussos said: "We are responsible for Saffie - we are her voice, her spirit. Everything we do now is for that little girl." "It was important for us to close a chapter on 2017. It's a hell of a battle to go through what happened," he said. "Saffie's always been the youngest victim, which is something that we embrace as she was. "But moving forward Saffie is something much more than the youngest victim. "It was important for us to channel that into a book, tell it from our own words, our own perspective and close that chapter of 2017 to move positively forward with Saffie." Saffie was leaving the concert with her mum and sister when Salman Abedi detonated a homemade explosive on the evening of 22 May 2017. Mrs Roussos spent six weeks in a coma and only learned of Saffie's death from her husband when she regained consciousness. Hundreds more were also injured in the blast in the arena's foyer. Mrs Roussos told BBC Breakfast that they wanted to give others who face unimaginable heartbreak hope, by sharing their daughter's story. "There is hope. You think there isn't but there is," she said. "As long as you have that hope in whatever it is you want to do moving forward, it does give you that little bit of something to carry on." She said they were just "a normal, regular family [who] did everything together" before their lives "just completely changed". "Saffie was such a huge part of the family," she said. "She took centre stage all the time so to suddenly not have that and cope and move forward, it was extremely difficult." Manchester attack: The victims Mrs Roussos said they also wanted to praise the medics at Wythenshawe Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries. "They were amazing and still are amazing," she said. Mr Roussos described the care as "above and beyond", adding "to this day they are close friends with us". The book, titled Saffie, was written by investigative reporter David Collins, who said her parents wanted to "capture who Saffie was as a person". "They are such a special family and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," he said. "The reason their story resonates with the entire nation and public is because we see our own families and ourselves in them. "It could have been anybody." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Arena inquiry: Saffie's mum on hearing the truth 'I believe in my heart Saffie would have survived' Garden tribute to Manchester bomb's youngest victim
BBC News
25-04-2025
- BBC News
Manchester Arena attack: 'Saffie is much more than youngest victim'
The parents of Saffie Roussos want their daughter to be remembered as "something much more than the youngest victim" of the Manchester Arena was just eight years old when she was killed - along with 21 others - when a bomb was detonated at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May parents Andrew and Lisa Roussos, from Leyland, Lancashire, have written a book, sharing how they turned their grief into a story of Roussos said: "We are responsible for Saffie - we are her voice, her spirit. Everything we do now is for that little girl." "It was important for us to close a chapter on 2017. It's a hell of a battle to go through what happened," he said."Saffie's always been the youngest victim, which is something that we embrace as she was."But moving forward Saffie is something much more than the youngest victim."It was important for us to channel that into a book, tell it from our own words, our own perspective and close that chapter of 2017 to move positively forward with Saffie." Saffie was leaving the concert with her mum and sister when Salman Abedi detonated a homemade explosive on the evening of 22 May 2017. Mrs Roussos spent six weeks in a coma and only learned of Saffie's death from her husband when she regained more were also injured in the blast in the arena's Roussos told BBC Breakfast that they wanted to give others who face unimaginable heartbreak hope, by sharing their daughter's story."There is hope. You think there isn't but there is," she said."As long as you have that hope in whatever it is you want to do moving forward, it does give you that little bit of something to carry on." She said they were just "a normal, regular family [who] did everything together" before their lives "just completely changed"."Saffie was such a huge part of the family," she said."She took centre stage all the time so to suddenly not have that and cope and move forward, it was extremely difficult." The book, titled Saffie, was written by investigative reporter David Collins, who said her parents wanted to "capture who Saffie was as a person"."They are such a special family and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," he said."The reason their story resonates with the entire nation and public is because we see our own families and ourselves in them. "It could have been anybody." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Khaleej Times
19-02-2025
- Khaleej Times
Islanders keen to return to Santorini even as quakes continue
Ilias Roussos will never forget the day he was driven from his native island of Santorini with thousands of others by a quake barrage that shows little sign of slowing down after three weeks. "Three of my children were crying, my wife was on edge too," the father of four, 54, told AFP at a summer camp near Athens temporarily housing scores of people who were also forced to leave their homes. One of Greece's top travel destinations, Santorini and its neighbouring islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios have since January been rocked by thousands of tremors, including several of between 5.0 and 5.3-magnitude. Another 5.0-magnitude quake hit early on Tuesday morning. By the first weekend of February, the activity had reached a point that even sleeping became difficult, and a mass exodus from the island began. After spending two nights in his car, Roussos on February 1 decided it was time to flee. "We left, what was I supposed to do?" he said. Within days, most of Santorini's nearly 16,000 residents in addition to seasonal workers had abandoned the island. Many found shelter with relatives in Athens, while a number of workers flew back to their native Albania. A state of emergency has been declared on all four islands, and schools have been shut until Friday. Around 130 people from Santorini are currently housed at the 18-hectare summer camp of Agios Andreas 30 kilometres northeast of Athens, which is run by the city. Nearly half of them are minors. "They are in good spirits, more than we expected. They feel safe here," said the camp's supervisor Christina Vasiliou. Each house in the camp has heating and can accommodate a family of four. Residents receive three meals daily and have access to a laundry service. At the camp cafeteria, a small group of teenagers and youngsters huddled over tablets and cellphones. A 16-year-old boy was following a long-distance literature course. Edri, 15, pointed to a school programme on his cellphone showing that he has two courses a day. For the rest of the day, the camp offers sports activities and leisure. "Obviously, we'd rather stay here than go back to Santorini," he grinned. But the grown-ups are getting antsy. "It's a bit difficult with four children here," said Roussos, who is mulling over the option of moving to Georgia where his wife is from. Ilir Cingerrima, a 39-year-old house painter originally from Albania, said the camp accommodation is more spacious than his home in Santorini. But he is already losing work by staying away. "If schools reopen we will return immediately," he said, glancing at his 12-year-old son. 'We don't ask for much' "We are extremely happy here... we don't ask for much... at least we are indoors in a warm space," said his wife Arjana, a hotel employee. Cingerrima's surname means "icy cold" in Albanian. He notes the irony in his family's present situation. "One of my ancestors once took in people from the cold. Now we are the ones given shelter here," he said. Athens University has calculated that the islands have been hit by some 20,000 tremors since January 26. However, no significant damage or injuries have been reported. Santorini attracted about 3.4 million visitors in 2023, with upwards of a million of those from cruise ships. Tour operators fear that the seismic activity could soon begin to adversely impact bookings, which usually gather pace in March. The area is historically prone to quakes. But scientists say that the region has not experienced a phenomenon on this scale since records began in 1964. Additional sensors have been placed in the area, and a seismic research vessel was last week sent to gather data. Santorini is part of a spectacular volcanic caldera. Two undersea volcanoes in the area, Nea Kameni and Kolumbo, last erupted in 1950 and 1650 respectively. Some scientists have warned of a possible buildup of magma underground. But a state committee of experts monitoring the activity has downplayed the risk of an eruption.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Islanders keen to return to Santorini even as quakes continue
Ilias Roussos will never forget the day he was driven from his native island of Santorini with thousands of others by a quake barrage that shows little sign of slowing down after three weeks. "Three of my children were crying, my wife was on edge too," the father of four, 54, told AFP at a summer camp near Athens temporarily housing scores of people who were also forced to leave their homes. One of Greece's top travel destinations, Santorini and its neighbouring islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios have since January been rocked by thousands of tremors, including several of between 5.0 and 5.3-magnitude. Another 5.0-magnitude quake hit early on Tuesday morning. By the first weekend of February, the activity had reached a point that even sleeping became difficult, and a mass exodus from the island began. After spending two nights in his car, Roussos on February 1 decided it was time to flee. "We left, what was I supposed to do?" he said. Within days, most of Santorini's nearly 16,000 residents in addition to seasonal workers had abandoned the island. Many found shelter with relatives in Athens, while a number of workers flew back to their native Albania. A state of emergency has been declared on all four islands, and schools have been shut until Friday. Around 130 people from Santorini are currently housed at the 18-hectare summer camp of Agios Andreas 30 kilometres (miles) northeast of Athens, which is run by the city. Nearly half of them are minors. "They are in good spirits, more than we expected. They feel safe here," said the camp's supervisor Christina Vasiliou. Each house in the camp has heating and can accommodate a family of four. Residents receive three meals daily and have access to a laundry service. At the camp cafeteria, a small group of teenagers and youngsters huddled over tablets and cellphones. A 16-year-old boy was following a long-distance literature course. Edri, 15, pointed to a school programme on his cellphone showing that he has two courses a day. For the rest of the day, the camp offers sports activities and leisure. "Obviously, we'd rather stay here than go back to Santorini," he grinned. But the grown-ups are getting antsy. "It's a bit difficult with four children here," said Roussos, who is mulling over the option of moving to Georgia where his wife is from. Ilir Cingerrima, a 39-year-old house painter originally from Albania, said the camp accommodation is more spacious than his home in Santorini. But he is already losing work by staying away. "If schools reopen we will return immediately," he said, glancing at his 12-year-old son. - 'We don't ask for much' - "We are extremely happy here... we don't ask for much... at least we are indoors in a warm space," said his wife Arjana, a hotel employee. Cingerrima's surname means "icy cold" in Albanian. He notes the irony in his family's present situation. "One of my ancestors once took in people from the cold. Now we are the ones given shelter here," he said. Athens University has calculated that the islands have been hit by some 20,000 tremors since January 26. However, no significant damage or injuries have been reported. Santorini attracted about 3.4 million visitors in 2023, with upwards of a million of those from cruise ships. Tour operators fear that the seismic activity could soon begin to adversely impact bookings, which usually gather pace in March. The area is historically prone to quakes. But scientists say that the region has not experienced a phenomenon on this scale since records began in 1964. Additional sensors have been placed in the area, and a seismic research vessel was last week sent to gather data. Santorini is part of a spectacular volcanic caldera. Two undersea volcanoes in the area, Nea Kameni and Kolumbo, last erupted in 1950 and 1650 respectively. Some scientists have warned of a possible buildup of magma underground. But a state committee of experts monitoring the activity has downplayed the risk of an eruption. jph/fg
