Greece: Dozens of dead in forest fires near Athens – Panorama

• There are at least 49 dead and more than 150 wounded in the vicinity of the Greek capital of Athens
• Many Athenians have their apartments in the area. Thousands of people have already fled the area.
• In recent days, temperatures in Greece have varied by 40 degrees. In addition, wind gusts of magnitude 7 blew in the affected area.

The forest fires that started near Athens claimed the lives of dozens of people. Officially, the government is currently talking about at least 50 dead and 172 injured. Eleven people are reported to have suffered life-threatening burns, said government guru Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.

The balance sheet could increase further in the coming days: "The rescue teams are going from house to house looking for victims," ​​said the mayor of Rafina. Vangelis Bournos, the Greek news channel Skai. Only in the seaside resort popular with the Athenians, the flames would have destroyed about 1200 houses.

In response to the forest fires, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ordered a three-day national mourning. "Today, we mourn Greece and, in memory of those we have lost, we are announcing a three-day period of mourning," Tsipras said. Turning to the survivors, he says, "No one should stay unaided – and nothing remains unanswered."

The fire department warned that the flames were still not completely under control, even though they spread only slowly. Local TV reporters reported that more and more new charred bodies were being discovered in various locations east of Athens. Skai reported that the bodies of two women and their children were found in a house. "Women have hugged their children in despair to protect them from the flames," a station reporter said. The body of another infant was discovered. Information on foreign tourists among the victims was not available initially.

In Rafina, the flames penetrated into the city center. "We were unlucky, the wind was spinning and we were hit with such force that it devastated the coastal area in minutes," said Mayor Buornos. Thousands of people have fled the area. Hundreds escaped the flames in the sea. For hours, fishermen and pbading ships took people out of the water. Many were still waiting on the steep coast Tuesday. In the port of Rafina, desperate parents showed pictures of their relatives and asked pbaders-by if they saw them.

The fires were so strong that clouds of smoke hovered over Athens and obscured the sun. In the metropolitan area of ​​the Greek capital, the state of emergency has been proclaimed. Thousands of Athenians have their apartments in the affected areas. Several mayors told reporters that more than 200 homes and hundreds of cars had been destroyed or damaged in the east of Athens alone. Whole families are among the victims.

The worst case scenario occurred, Greek chief of defense Giannis Kapakis said on television. The flames were raging in a heavily forested area. Several camps for children had to be evacuated. Electricity, telephone and internet dropped in some areas. Due to the strong smoke, the highway and the railway line between Athens and Corinth have been closed. "We could not breathe, it was awful," said a man on public television.

"We are doing everything in our power to deal with these fires," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said. in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He stopped his trip prematurely to call an emergency meeting. He said more than 600 firefighters and 300 vehicles were in action. "My thoughts are with people and forces," said Tsipras, the Greek TV channel ERT. He expressed the suspicion that the arsonists might be behind the fires. Some government officials also said that it was strange that many major fires broke out at the same time.

The prime minister ordered that the fire departments of other regions and the military be sent to Athens, reported the public radio. Greece has also asked for help from other EU countries

The first fire broke out in a pine forest near Kineta, a village about 50 kilometers to the north. west of Athens. The second has raged since Monday afternoon in the region of Penteli, northeast of the capital. Also on the island of Crete it burns. The fire department said the agricultural and forest areas were on fire.

The Foreign Office advises Greek travelers to avoid the affected areas east of the capital Athens near the port city of Rafina.

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