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Rescuers in Greece continued to search charred houses and burned cars on Wednesday, while the toll of some of the worst fires of this century is expected to increase by at least 74 dead and 187 wounded.
Many people fled to the sea to try to escape the flames by tearing the cities near Athens, ravaged by high winds, reducing pine forests to ashes and devouring hundreds of buildings .
National Tragedy ", while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras interrupted a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning.
The government has not yet said how many people are still missing from fires, which erupted on Monday, as firefighters continue to fight fires in some areas.
Terrified residents and vacationers were overrun by flames in homes, on foot or in their cars. people, including young children, were found in a villa in the seaside resort of Mati, 40 kilometers northeast of Athens, said lifeguard Vbadilis Andriopoulos
They were grouped into small groups, "perhaps families, friends or strangers, intermingled in a last attempt to protect themselves while they were trying to reach the sea."
Athens claims that 308 engineers will arrive Wednesday to badess the damage, but "the problem is what is still hidden under the ashes," said Vice President of Emergency Services, Miltiadis Mylonas
. could exceed that of the fires that hit the Greek island of Evia, in southern Greece, in 2007, during which 77 people perished.
A Belgian was among the victims, said Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders. The government of D said that a Polish woman and her son also died.
Some 187 people were hospitalized, 82 of whom are still being treated Tuesday night, including nearly a dozen children, most of whom were in a "serious condition," according to the services. fire.
Dramatic videos show people fleeing Car Athanasia Oktapodi, whose house is surrounded by pine trees, said that she first spotted the fire coming down the hill "and five or ten minutes later he was in my garden. "
" I ran like crazy, I went to the beach and put my head in the water. "Then the patrol boats are come, "said the 60-year-old.
The resort 'no longer exists & # 39;
Fire Department spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said firefighters were always looking for more victims and "dozens of calls". 100 kilometers at the time of Mati caused a "sudden progression of fire" through the village, said Maliri.
"Mati no longer exists," said Rafina Mayor Evangelos Bournous, adding that more than one thousand buildings and 300 cars were damaged.
"I saw the flames outside the window of our hotel, I thought it would explode," said Alina Marzin, a 20-year-old German tourist who was staying Monday night at the hotel. Hotel Capo Verde in Mati with his brother and his parents
At least six people died trying to escape the flames in the sea. Some 715 people were evacuated by boat to Rafina, according to the government. [19659002] "People are shocked, lost. Some of them have lost everything: children, parents, homes, "said Red Cross spokeswoman Georgia Trisbioti.
The European Union activated its civil protection mechanism after Greece asked for help. Several countries said they were sending planes to help fight the flames.
The head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, tweeted that the EU "will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people". "Feelings shared by EU and NATO leaders."
NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg expressed his full solidarity with Greece, whose government gave financial support to the families of the victims.
40 degree heat
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said the priority was to put out a fire that was still burning in Kineta, 50 kilometers from Athens
security along the beach, while 600 children were evacuated from summer camps.
Officials raised the possibility that the flames may have been deliberately launched by criminals to loot abandoned houses Tsipras said Supreme Court prosecutors announced that they had opened an investigation into the causes of the fire.
Showers should see temperatures around Athens c hike slightly after reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Fires Across Europe
Forest fires occur while record temperatures recorded in northern Europe have caused considerable damage in recent days.
Sweden goes through an unprecedented period The drought and the highest temperatures in a century have seen more than 20 fires across the country.
The northernmost province of Lapland in Finland was also affected by fires
. . A firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a fire
Fires raged for five days in Latvia, destroying more than 1,000 hectares in the Baltic state.
(This story was published from a source feed of the agency without modification of the text, only the title has been changed.)
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