The death toll reaches 50 from Greek forest fires



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(UPDATED) The death toll of 26 corpses in the courtyard of a villa in the seaside resort of Mati was brought to its climax

Published 10:37 AM, July 24, 2018 [19659003] 16:32, July 24, 2018

  WILDFIRE. A firefighter reacts as a house burns during a forest fire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018. Photo by Valerie Gache / AFP

WILDFIRE. A firefighter reacts as a house burns during a forest fire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018. Photo by Valérie Gache / AFP

ATHENS, Greece (UPDATE) – Fifty people have died and 170 injured in pest fires Greek authorities rush to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches along the coast on Tuesday, July 24.

The death toll of 26 people in the yard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati.

The bodies were intertwined and badly burned, said a photographer from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the scene. They appeared to have been caught by the flames trying to reach the sea.

The authorities had already announced 24 dead and dozens wounded with the majority of casualties found in their homes or cars in Mati, 40 kilometers away. Northeast Of the wounded, 11 were in serious condition

The port authorities told AFP that they found 4 bodies in the sea, including 3 women and a child who had apparently tried to escape to the flames. 19659006] The National Tragedy

The National Tragedy

The Minister of the Interior, Panos Skourletis, said the rescuers "were always looking for there were more missing".

"It's a national tragedy," said Ioanna Tsoupra, head of civil protection, at public broadcaster ERT

on Tuesday morning, fires continued to burn around the capital, while d & # 39; Others were shouting elsewhere

were t The spokesman of the government, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, said: "Fifteen fires started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens," he said, prompting Greece to ask the drones of the states States "to observe and detect any suspicious activity".

Nine coastal patrol boats, two military ships and "dozens of private boats" assisted by army helicopters were mobilized to help those who were stuck in the port of Rafina, one of the areas the most affected near Mati.

transferred to hotels and military camps, while worried parents flocked to the area.

City police said they found two Danish tourists in a boat off the city and tried to locate the others. The head of civil protection, Yannis Kapakis, said he told Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who cut a visit to Bosnia to return home, that 100 kilometers at the time created "an extreme situation".

Forecasters have said conditions will remain tough on Tuesday, although downpours and falling temperatures are expected in Athens.

More than 300 firefighters, 5 planes and two helicopters were mobilized in the north to face the situation "extremely difficult". Achille Tzouvaras, Fire Chief of Athens

Children Evacuated

Video footage shows residents fleeing the car fires, several damaged buildings and houses, the area of ​​?? Attica – which includes Athens – declaring

"If I had not gone, I would have been burned," said a 67-year-old resident, Maria,

to AFP. Near the town of Marathon, residents fled safely along the border. 60000 children were evacuated from the holiday camps in the region.

Tsipras said that "all the emergency forces were mobilized" to fight fires on at least 3 fronts.

"I am really worried about fires," he said, fires are a common problem in Greece during the summer and may be major killers.

Fires in 2007 on the 39th. Euboea island claimed 77 lives

Sweden fights 27 fires

The Greek government has sought the help of the European Union to fight fires.

In recent days, forest fires have also caused considerable damage in northern Europe.

Sweden is experiencing unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century.

Monday, July 23 the MSB Nordic nation's civil protection agency said that there were 27 active fires all over the country, as high as 35 degrees this week.

Several European countries including France, the 39, Italy and Germany sent planes, trucks and firefighters to help fight fires in Sweden, where the usual summer temperature is close to 23 Celsius

About 25 000 hectares (62 000 acres) of land have already gone up in smoke or continue to burn – an area twice bigger than the city of Paris.

At least 4 of the MSB fires said the weather was not favorable

No rain since May

There was virtually no rain rain since the beginning of May in Sweden.

The Forestry Bureau said Monday that the value of the destroyed forests was 900 million kronor (87 million euros).

Meanwhile, in the northernmost province of Lapland, fires have ravaged forests and grasslands. Norway, which experienced its hottest temperatures in May, also saw several small fires, and a firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a fire

Fires lasted 5 days in Latvia, destroying more 800 hectares. the western regions of the Baltic state. – Rappler.com

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