At least 79 people died in huge wildfires around Athens, Greek authorities said yesterday, as rescuers scoured scorched homes and burned-out cars for survivors of one of the deadliest fire outbreaks in modern European history.
Scores of locals and holidaymakers fled to the sea to try to escape the flames as they tore through towns near Athens stoked by 100kph gusts of wind, devouring woodland and hundreds of buildings.
Greek media have described the disaster as a “national tragedy,” while Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning.
Photo: AFP
The government has not yet said how many people are still missing from the fires, which broke out on Monday, as firefighters continue to battle blazes in some areas.
Terrified residents and tourists were overtaken by the flames in homes, on foot or in their cars.
Photographers saw the burned bodies of people and dogs.
A blaze was yesterday threatening houses near the seaside town of Kineta, 25km west of Athens.
Dozens of firefighters were battling the flames aided by helicopters and planes dropping thousands of liters of water.
A fire service official said that searches to find those missing in the fires would continue yesterday, although there was still no official word on the number of people unaccounted for.
Spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said authorities knew of “79 dead,” surpassing the 77 people killed in the previous deadliest fires in Greece on the southern island of Evia in 2007.
About 187 people have been hospitalized, with 82 being treated on Tuesday evening, including almost a dozen children, most of whom were in “serious condition,” the fire service said.
Rain is forecast for the coming days, which would help efforts to douse the flames after temperatures topped 40?C on Monday.
Dramatic video footage showed people fleeing by car as the tourist-friendly Attica region declared a state of emergency.
Athanasia Oktapodi, whose home is surrounded by pine trees, said she first spotted the fire moving down the hill “and five or 10 minutes later it was in my garden.”
“I ran out like a crazy person, got to the beach and put my head in the water. Then the patrol boats came,” the 60-year-old said.
“I saw the flames outside the window of our hotel. I thought it would explode,” said Alina Marzin, a 20-year-old German tourist who had been staying at the Capo Verde hotel in Mati on Monday evening with her brother and their parents.
At least six people died trying to escape the flames into the sea.
About 715 people were evacuated by boats to Rafina, the government said.
“People are shocked, lost. Some of them have lost everything: children, parents, homes,” Red Cross spokeswoman Georgia Trisbioti said.
The EU activated its Civil Protection Mechanism after Greece asked the bloc for help.
Several nations said they were sending aircraft to help fight the flames.
European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides arrived in Athens on Tuesday to assist the relief efforts.
“Today is a day of great sorrow for the Greek people and for all of Europe,” he wrote on Twitter.
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