Fire in Greece: stuck by flames, 26 people died kissing

ATHENS.- The charred bodies of 26 people were found today in a house in Mati, Costa in the east of the region of Ática, for which the deaths caused by
the fires that hit Greece. The scene is devastating: it is thought that they were members of the same family, among whom were several boys. They were found caught in groups, "in a last attempt to protect themselves," said rescuer Vbadilis Andriopulos.

The news only worsens a devastating situation. Apparently, the family group failed to reach the sea to protect themselves from fire, the fire department estimated. Although they have already managed to control the flames at Ática, in the Kineta region, located about 40 kilometers west of


Athens
They were still very active

The bodies were found near burning cars in a closed neighborhood of Mati, east of Athens, a tourist coastal town that was the more affected by fires. [19659004"Ilsontessayédetrouverunevoied'évacuationmaismalheureusementcesgensetleursenfantsn'arrivaientpasàl'heureetinstinctivementàl'approchedelafinilssesontembrbadés"adéclaréNikosEconomopouloschefdelaCroix-RougegrecqueLespaMatiaétépresquecomplètementdévoréparlesflammesetc'estlàquesontenregistréeslaplupartdesvictimes” style=””/>

The violent fires that erupted on Monday also left, according to the latest provisional badessment, 172 wounded, 11 of them serious. The highest number of casualties was recorded in Mati, a spa located about 40 km east of the capital, where there are many houses surrounded by pine forests

Most of the victims "died in houses or cars," said Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. Many tourists and residents fled to the coast to escape the fierce flames and suffocating smoke.

Meanwhile, authorities have already evacuated more than 700 people by sea overnight, said Nektarios Santorinios, deputy minister of the merchant navy. department responsible for the Coast Guard.

"Everything happened in a few seconds," said Andreaas Pbadios, who lives near the complex. "I grabbed a beach towel and I saved my life." I dunked him, grabbed my wife and ran to the sea. Pbadios said that he and his wife were near the water for two hours: "C & # 's It was incredible, the gas bottles exploded and the pineapples were burning everywhere. "

Similar was the case of Spyros Hadjiandreou, who says that When the flames went out, he went out in search of his relatives. "My niece and my cousin stayed here on vacation, I do not know if they did it," he said. "I do not know how good they are, I have not heard of them yet."

On the difficult situation, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, decreed today three days of national mourning for the death of at least 74 people the forest fires broke out around the town. Athens, in the heat of the heat. The uncontrolled fires, fanned by hurricane winds, have also injured more than 170 people, official sources confirmed, during what has become the deadliest fire wave in Greece in years.

The devastating fire is by far the worst of Greece since the fires that devastated the Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens of people. He started Monday at Mati in the late afternoon and seriously affected the area of ​​Rafina harbor, where the 26 bodies were found this morning.

Reuters Agencies, DPA and AFP