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The fires that swept the suburbs of Athens killed at least 74 people said Tuesday firefighters spokesman Stavroula Maliri
. This new figure is not final because firefighters are still looking for casualties in the tourist area of the east coast of Attica, he said.
At Mati Station, about 40 km east of Athens, 26 charred corpses were found hugged in groups, "in a last-ditch effort to protect themselves," said lifeguard Vbadilis Andriopulos. "People are shocked, lost, some have lost everything, children, parents, police and police," said AFP Trisbioti, spokesman for the organization. "Today, Greece is in mourning," said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, announcing in a message from the national channel three days of mourning in this country.
Monday afternoon flood of flames on the east coast of the capital, which surrounded the victims in their homes, in their vehicles or a few meters from the beaches where they were heading.
Fulminating progression
In Mati, the violence of the winds, with gusts of more than 100 km / h, "provoked a furious progression of the fire in the urban fabric", explained the spokesperson of the firemen, Stavrula Maliri.
"Mati no longer exists," Rafina Mayor Evangelos Burnus said, adding that "more than a thousand buildings and 300 vehicles" were damaged, while in some areas the carcbades of cars still smoked. in this area were seen Surrounded by pine forests.
The survivors spent hours of anguish drowning in clouds of ashes by the seashore as rescuers arrived.
More than 700 people were evacuated by sea until Rafina
Volunteers work to help those affected, with collection and distribution of water, food and clothing, while that homeless people were transferred to hotels and military camps, while family and friends came to inquire about the fate of their loved ones.
At least five people were found dead in the sea, where they escaped when the advance of the flames forced the locals to rush to the beaches in panic. The identification of long advertised victims in this area is quite crowded by foreign tourists.
The fire in the area began to "evolve" after a morning break, according to the fire cell. . A front was still active in Kineta, about 50 km west of the capital, where a first fire broke out on Monday morning
. No casualties have been reported in Kineta but a large number of vehicles and homes have been burned to ashes.
Influx of Aid
The country, which activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, is counting on the aid, notably aerial, of Spain, France, Israel, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal and Croatia "The European Commission will spare no effort to help Greece," tweeted President Jean-Claude Juncker
.
Before any controversy began about the reaction of the state apparatus, the government pointed out that it was facing an "extreme", "asymmetrical" phenomenon, Tsipras said [19659002]. Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopulos said there were "15 simultaneous fires on three different fronts" in Attica. The United States lent a drone to fly over Attica and "observe and detect any suspicious activity".
Faced with this situation, the Presidency of the Republic canceled the annual events scheduled for Tuesday to commemorate the restoration of democracy in Greece, in July 1974.
Greece is experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures up to # At 40ºC, and according to weather services, conditions will continue to be complicated this Tuesday.
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