[ad_1]
Athens (AFP) – 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 in an attempt to escape the flames by tearing the cities near Athens, ravaged by high winds, reducing pine forests to ashes and devouring hundreds of buildings .
Greek media describe the disaster as a "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 the fires that erupted on Monday as firefighters continue to fight. flames in some areas.
Frightened residents and vacationers were overtaken by flames in homes, on foot or in their cars. The bodies of 26 people, including young children, were found in a villa in the resort of Mati, 40 kilometers northeast of Athens, said lifeguard Vbadilis. Andriopoulos
They grouped themselves into small groups, "maybe families, friends or strangers, intermingled in one last attempt to protect themselves while they were trying to reach the sea."
Athens says 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 [19659008]. could surpbad that of the flames that struck the Greek island of Euboea in southern Greece in 2007, during which 77 people perished.
A Belgian was among the victims, said Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders. A Polish woman and her son are also dead.
Some 187 people were hospitalized, including 82 still on Tuesday night, including nearly a dozen children, most of whom were in a "serious condition", the fire department.
Athanasia Oktapodi, whose house is surrounded by pine trees, said that for the first time she saw the fire moving along the hill. "And five or ten minutes later, it was in my garden."
"I went out like crazy, I went to the beach and I put my head in the water." The patrol boats came, "said the 60-year-old. [19659013] – Station "no longer exists" –
Fire spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said firefighters were always looking for more casualties and taking "dozens of calls". [195] Winds of more than 100 kilometers at the time of Mati caused a "sudden advance of fire" through the village, said Maliri.
"Mati no longer exists", said the mayor of near Rafina, Evangelos Bournous, adding that more than one thousand buildings and 300 cars had been 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 at the Hotel Capo Verde in Mati with her brother and their parents.
At least six people died while trying Some 715 people were evacuated by boats to Rafina, according to the government.
"People are shocked, lost. Some have lost everything: children, parents, homes, "said spokeswoman for the Red Cross, Georgia Trisbioti
The European Union activated its civil protection mechanism after Greece asked for # 39; s help.
The head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, tweeted that the EU "will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people", while Pope Francis spoke of his "deep sadness" . Interior chief Panos Skourletis said the priority was to put out a fire that was still burning in Kineta, Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said, noting that the president Jens Stoltenberg offered financial badistance to the families of the victims. 50 kilometers from Athens
Near the town of Marathon, residents fled safely along the beach, while 600 children were evacuated from summer camps
. "I am really concerned about the parallel outbreak of these fires," Tsipras said when Supreme Court attorneys announced that they had opened an investigation into the causes of the fire.
The showers were expected to drop slightly after reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
– Lights across Europe –
Forest fires reached record temperatures in northern Europe
Sweden, experiencing unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century , has recorded more than 20 fires across the country.
Fires also hit the northernmost province of Lapland. its hottest May temperatures recorded several small 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.
