Forest fires kill at least 74 people in Greek "Pompeii" :: Kenya

The Greek prime minister recounted "the indescribable tragedy" that the country experienced after at least 74 people were killed by fires that swept through a station, trapping people in cars and at the edge of the cliffs. .

The magnitude of Monday's devastation at Mati became apparent on the first day of Tuesday.

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Scores of gutted cars lined with streets in the coastal city, east of Athens, melted by the intensity of heat. Bodies were on the roadside, and in one area, a group of 26 people were found dead – some were locked in a hug as the flames closed.

The group, which included children, was found near the top of a cliff overlooking a beach. They were there after apparently looking for an escape.

"Instinctively, seeing the end approaching, they kissed each other," said Nikos Economopoulos, head of the Greek Red Cross, at Skai TV.

The lucky ones were able to jump cliffs to survive, or rush into the sea from the beach.

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"We went into the sea because the flames chased us to the water, it burned our backs and we plunged into the water," said Kostas Laganos, a surviving middle-aged.

He likened the ordeal to the destruction of the city of Pompeii, where thousands of people were cremated by the Vesuvius volcano in 79 AD. "I said – my God, we have to run to save ourselves and nothing else".

At least 74 people were killed, said a spokeswoman for the fire department, and the death toll is expected to increase. Poland said that two of its citizens, a mother and her son, were among the victims.

It was unclear how many people were still missing as boats were heading to the beaches for the remaining survivors.

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Residents, faces blackened by smoke, roamed the streets, some looking for their cars burned, others for their pets. The strange silence was pierced by helicopters fighting the fire and the murmur of rescue teams. There were yellow body bags in several areas.

Many in the area had been unable to escape the rapid pace of the fire, even if they were a few meters from the Aegean Sea or in their homes, said the service. # 39; fire.

A Reuters photographer saw at least four people dead on a narrow road obstructed by cars heading for a beach.

One of the youngest victims was a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation. At least 187 people were injured, according to the authorities, among these 23 children.

"Greece is going through an indescribable tragedy," said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras as he appeared on television to declare three days of national mourning.

"Greece is experiencing one of its most difficult moments," he said. "There is absolutely no word to describe what we are feeling right now."

Flags at the top of the old Acropolis hill and parliament flew at half mast.

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Hell was considered the deadliest in Greece, with more deaths than the fires that ravaged southern Peloponnese in August 2007, killing dozens of people.

Tuesday afternoon, Mati's fire was contained, but there was still the risk of rekindling it in the scrubland desiccated by the hot summer heat of Greece.

"The fire of the killer"

Forest fires are not uncommon in Greece, and a relatively dry winter and a hot summer have helped create the current conditions of tinder. The cause of the current fire was not immediately clear and an Athens prosecutor ordered an investigation into it.

Mati is a popular place for Greek holidaymakers, especially retirees and children in summer camps. One of the disappeared included a woman with multiple sclerosis, dragged out of her wheelchair by her frantic husband as the flames closed, but lost in the chaos that ensued.

The fire department urged residents to report missing relatives and friends. Some borrowed Twitter and Facebook to post photos of young children and older couples that they hoped to find.

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Greece has launched an urgent call for help to fight the fires that have raged in many parts of the country, destroying houses and disrupting major transport routes.

Newspapers printed banner titles, including "Killer Fire" and "Hell".

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Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal offered their help after Greece said it needed to make plans. air and land badets of partners of the European Union.

"Our thoughts are with Greece and the victims of the terrible fires," French President Emmanuel Macron said in tweets published in French and Greek.

Pope Francis stated in a telegram that he was deeply saddened by the tragedy and prayed for the victims and their families.