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Forest fires are raging in Greece, with at least 20 people dying in flames. Extinction forces are constantly being used, the civil defense is calling for help. Prime Minister Tsipras speaks of a "heavy night"
At least 20 people were killed in fierce forest fires in the vicinity of the Greek capital Athens
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced this morning that "over 104" some of them had suffered fatal burns. Among the wounded were also 16 children
According to Tzanakopoulos, it was particularly difficult to hit the resort of Mati 40 kilometers north-east of Athens. There, people in their homes or cars were trapped by the flames.
An AFP news agency had already discovered that he had discovered four charred bodies near Mati, some 40 kilometers east of Athens.
The first fire broke out in a pine forest near the village of Kineta, halfway between Athens and Corinth. Firefighters were trying to control the flames with fire planes and dozens of emergency vehicles, but they failed first.
Above the Greek capital, the sky turned orange through the smoke. Later, ashes fell from the sky. The road and the rail link between Athens and Corinth have been closed.
Since Monday afternoon, a fire has raged in the area of Penteli northeast of the capital. There, the authorities evacuated several summer camps for children. Dozens of homes and cars in the area were set on fire
. The port of Rafina was used to rescue people who had taken a boat on the high seas. Among them was apparently a group of Danish tourists.
The fires in the east and west of Athens were so important that clouds of smoke over the metropolis darkened the sun. Authorities in the Attica region declared the state of emergency.
Tsipras interrupts trips abroad
Although the authorities expect forest fires due to the heat of the last days, the violence of fire still surprises them. Currently temperatures in Greece are around 40 degrees. In addition, winds of magnitude seven are blowing in the affected area.
"The worst case scenario has occurred," Giannis Kapakis, chief of the Greek Civil Defense Department, said on television. The civil defense has announced that Greece would seek EU help in the fight against fires.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras interrupted a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and ordered that other fire brigades and other military personnel be sent to the fire zones. "My thoughts are with people and forces," he told Greek television. He expressed the suspicion that the arsonists might be behind the fires. "It's a heavy night for Greece," he said.
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