Massacre claims 3,600 lives in Crete, as proGreek mood grows in UK

Asmany as 3,600 Greek civilians, mainly women and children, are reported to have been murdered in a cave on the island of Crete. This is just the latest bloody episode in the war between Greeks seeking independence and the forces of the Ottoman Empire.

Local residents had taken refuge in caves, after Ottoman forces ravaged the Lassithi Plateau on the east of the island. Greeks blocked the entrance leading to a siege.

Ottoman forces are reported to have lit fires near the entrance to the cave of Milatos, filling it with smoke. Most of those who finally emerged were killed. But there is uncertainty over the number who died, and some observers believe the number may be significantly lower.

News of this latest massacre is likely to fuel demands for action in support of the Greek independence fighters in Western Europe, in particular in Britain.