[ad_1]
Forest fires have ravaged houses, cars and forests and killed at least 49 people, local authorities said Tuesday. Crews reported finding the bodies of more than 20 people huddled together near a beach.
Many people headed to the beaches and the coast to escape, fleeing the flames and choking the smoke. More than 700 people were evacuated by sea all night, said Deputy Minister of the Merchant Navy Nektarios Santorinios, whose ministry is responsible for the Coast Guard.
Nikos Oikonomopoulos, head of the Greek Red Cross The Red Cross rescue team had told him that the crew who was looking for a seaside area northeast of Athens had found 26 bodies, seemingly families, tight against each other, many of whom intertwined
AP
A plane flies over the smoke and fire coming from the city of Mati, to the east. Athens
It is believed that the group was discovered near several found cars charred outside a fortified enclosure. by fire.
"Everything happened in a few seconds," said local resident Andreaas Passios, who lives next to the speaker. "I grabbed a beach towel, she saved me, I drenched her, grabbed my wife and ran to the sea."
Passios said that he and his wife stayed two hours at the seaside. "It was incredible: gas bombs exploded, pine cones were burning everywhere
AP [19659007RegionalAuthoritieshavedeclared"emergencystatus"intheeasternandwesternpartsoftheGreatAthenesregionthefiresbeingpredictedbytheSporosHadjiandreouonthespotinsearchofmissinglovedones
"My niece and cousin stayed here on vacation. I do not know if they got out of it, "he says." I do not know if they're all right, I have not heard from them. "
The fires – an estimated 50 kilometers west of Athens to Kineta, the other northeast of the capital near Rafina – broke out on Monday for yet undetermined causes. With gale force winds, they spread rapidly into populated areas in popular beach areas, preventing many from being in their cars or According to a spokesman for the fire department, Stavroula Malliri
Thanassis Stavrakis
A firefighter sprays water Hundreds of members emergency personnel were called to fight fires
Aleka Papariga, former leader of the Greek Communist Party Aleka Papariga, was one of the survivors of the disaster zone near Rafina, far from the fire. But we could not escape "She said," We were stuck in the traffic and the flames were on us.
Greece has sought international aid from the European Union, as fires on either side of Athens have destroyed burnt cars, charred farms and forests. The beaches were evacuated by naval vessels, yachts and fishing boats, 19 people were found at sea and rescued, while 696 people were recovered from beaches and coastline by boat
AP
People stand in the sea near the cars parked on the beach while the fire is raging near Mati
60 firefighters to help fight the flames, Israel and Turkey have both offered their help in any way they could.
The fire department reported that 156 adults and 16 children were hospitalized with injuries and that 11 of them were in serious condition. ] The winds reached 80 kph, the authorities have deployed the entire fleet of aircraft and helicopters in the country to allow vacationers to escape. Military drones remained in the air in strong winds to help the authorities direct more than 600 firefighters to the ground.
AP
People cover their faces with smoke that invades the sky near Kineta, west of Athens
"We were unlucky, the wind changed and it arrived with such force that it razed the coastal area in a few minutes" , says Evangelos Bournous. , mayor of the port city of Rafina, a sleepy continental port serving the Greek islands.
The wharf area has become a makeshift hospital, with paramedics watching over the survivors, some dressed only in their bathing suits, boats and private boats. The operation continued all night
It was the most deadly fire season to hit Greece in more than a decade. More than 60 people were killed in 2007 when huge fires swept through the southern Peloponnese
AP
Dozens of people were injured "It's a tough night for Greece," said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after interrupting a trip to Bosnia and returned to Athens
. missed the two big fires. Heavy rains are expected Wednesday in southern Greece
Forest fires are common in Greece during hot, dry summers, and temperatures have recently peaked as high as 40 ° C.
– AP
]
[ad_2]
Source link
