Devastating forest fires: 50 dead in Athens



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Uncontrolled wildfires near Athens cost at least 50 lives, according to new sources. According to the Greek National Radio (ERT), more than 150 wounded are in danger of death, citing Tuesday emergency services and hospitals in the capital region.

Fishermen, coast guard and tourists with canoes could put more than 700 people safe. who had sought refuge from the flames on the beaches and rocky shores. Most fires were controlled at night after the winds dried up. Thousands of people have slept outside, in cars and sports halls, as reported by the state television.

Terrible scenes. A user makes a video of the hellfire in Athens. The images clearly show how difficult it is to escape from a car. Quickly, you are surrounded by smoke and fires.

Inferno fire close #Athens – at least 50 died. People were found dead in the sea. People who did not manage to escape and who were captured in their homes.
4 dead were found in the sea 3 women and 1 child. #Mati pic.twitter.com/gBtoNmrxDT lights of Athens

– Alexander Hansen (@AlexanderXV) 24. July 2018

The most significant damage to the East of Athens and Rafina

The most important damage occurred in the 39th. East of Athens in the port area of ​​Rafina. Their Mati district was almost completely destroyed. The television showed images of entire streets with houses completely burned. On the first day, mbadive planes and helicopters were used to extinguish the last source of fire. "We hope to put out fires today," said a firefighter.

Humans and animals flee to the sea. As a last resort, desperate citizens now flee forest fires in the water.

The highway between Athens and Corinth, temporarily closed due to clouds of smoke, was reopened in the morning.

Also a baby among deaths

Among deaths is also a six-month-old baby who died of smoke poisoning. At least 50 people died, 172 people were injured – including 16 children, as the spokesman of the government said

Austrian reports from Greece

"Never seen anything like it"

L & 39 Austrian Peter Eipeldauer has lived for ten years in Xylokastro, a municipality in the north of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula. "We know forest fires," he told APA Tuesday. "But it burns in so many places at the same time, we do not know it."

Eipeldauer wanted to pick someone up at the airport on Monday night. At 4 pm, he leaves for Athens with his car. He did not go further than the toll of Corinth. "Everything was closed there, in front of us a fire," described the Austrian. Then a storm formed: "I have not seen anything like it for ten years". According to Eipeldauer, the fishermen measured a wind force of ten to eleven Beaufort. The storm had carried the sparks and "by the sparks formed a fire behind us," said Eipeldauer. "We ran the risk of being encircled by fire."

"We saw the wind coming in our direction," he said. We then left the highway, "there was of course a mega-traffic chaos". The airport had no pbadage, so he had to go home. "The train is blocked, the road is closed and you can not go to Kineta, no," Eipeldauer reported. "There were great fires in the mountains in several places in Corinth," he reported on his observations during the trip.

No Austrian among the victims at present

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are no Austrians under fire victims. In Greece, however, a crisis team of the Austrian authorities has been created.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns Austrian holidaymakers in Greece: "In Greece, forest fires are raging in the east of Athens, and the most affected areas are Penteli, Neos Voutzas, Rafina, Marathonas Ave, Mati it is advisable for these areas to be actively informed of the situation and to be particularly careful and to follow the instructions of the local forces. "

The arsonists set fire

Prime Minister Alexander Tsipras says on Greek television that Arsonists can be presumed to be responsible for forest fires. The fire broke out in several places at the same time.

Video on the subject
Forest fires in Greece: number of deaths

Tourists evacuated from stations

The first tourists are evacuated from the stations. They are fleeing the forest fires around Athens.

The Red Cross finds charred corpses

Family tragedy. At the seaside resort of Mati, the Red Cross found 26 charred corpses. They were all a few meters from the sea. He was said to have treated families who could not save themselves in time from the flames.

In some areas declared the state of emergency

The devastating fires of Wegener in Greece have become a state of emergency in areas around Athens, such as Attica [19659027] The forest fires in Athens continue to rage

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