Forest fires in Greece: dozens of people have been forced to flee their homes | News from the world

Dozens of people were killed and many more injured as two forest fires raged around the Greek capital of Athens.

The Red Cross announced Tuesday that 26 bodies were found in front of a villa by the sea. Mati village. The official death toll rose to 24.

Authorities urged people to abandon their homes after the strong winds shook the worst fires for more than a decade in two areas of the capital , destroying properties and closing the main highway. west to Corinth

Mati, a holiday resort located 29 km northeast of Athens, was devastated by a fire that began around 5 pm local time Monday.

The government spokesman, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, said: the children were injured, 11 of them seriously. One of the youngest victims was a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation.

Coastguards said that the bodies of four people had been recovered from the sea.

"Mati does not even exist a regulation," said a woman to the Greek TV channel Skai TV "I saw corpses, cars burned. I feel lucky to be alive. "

Mati is in the region of Rafina, which is popular with local tourists, especially pensioners and children in summer camps.

Nine coastal patrol boats, two military ships and 'dozens of private boats Assisted by helicopters from the army, were mobilized to help those who were stranded in the port of Rafina, police said they found two Danish tourists in a boat off Rafina, and eight people were missing.

As night fell, the magnitude of the disaster was impossible to badess.The country was like a powder keg, say the rescuers, after a dry winter and a summer heatwave where temperatures exceeded 40 ° C.

"We are dealing with something completely asymmetrical," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after interrupting a visit to Bosnia

. Greece has launched a call for help to fight fires. Cyprus and Spain offered their help.

Authorities deployed firefighters and equipment from all over Greece to deal with the fire of Kineta, a small seaside resort located about 54 km to the west. ;Athens. Peloponnese Peninsula

A state fire chief called on the population to leave the area after some attempted to stay on their property.

"People should leave, close their homes and leave, people can not tolerate so much smoke for so many hours," Achilles Tzouvaras said. "It's an extreme situation."

Strong winds fanned walls of gigantic flames extending up to four miles near Kineta, local officials said. Dozens of homes were reported to have been damaged or destroyed by the fire. Some motorists used pipes to extinguish fires while the police helped evacuate some areas.

The main highway connecting Athens to Corinth, one of the two routes to the Peloponnese Peninsula, was closed and rail services canceled. 19659002] Raging around the Gulf of Saronicos, the fire ravaged stretches of pine forest and was visible for miles. A cloud of black and orange smoke floated on the Acropolis Hill and the Parthenon Temple in Athens on Monday afternoon.

It was believed that hell had begun in a ravine in the mountains overlooking Kineta, a popular seaside resort among the Athenians. 19659002] In East Athens, live images show thick smoke swirls hanging over Rafina, which has a population of at least 20 000 inhabitants and a dense vegetation

"I have personally seen at least 100 houses in flames. Mayor of the Rafina-Pikermi region. "I saw it with my eyes, it's a total disaster."

Forest fires are common in Greece in summer, but a dry winter has created tinder conditions

Dozens of people died when fire ravaged the Peloponnese. in 2007. Last November, more than 20 people were killed in sudden floods in the Mandra region near Kineta.