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The first victims of severe forest fires in Greece are in the town of Rafina, northeast of Athens, where a dead man was found Monday, according to a civil protection representative. 25 people were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. AFP has reported at least five deaths near Athens
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has shortened a trip abroad to help coordinate the fight against at least three major fires.
More than 300 firefighters, five planes and two According to the Athens fire brigade, helicopters were in action to deal with the situation "extremely difficult". The state of emergency has been declared in the region around the capital. A spokeswoman for the fire department said that Athens had asked for help from other EU countries
A summer camp was evacuated
According to government sources, the military also supplied aircraft, helicopters and tankers. The fires moved up to 30 kilometers from the capital, from Athens were seen huge clouds of gray smoke. At temperatures of about 40 degrees Celsius, wind fires at speeds greater than 60 km / h were further fueled.
A spokesman for the fire department complained that not all residents were following the instructions of the authorities. On TV images, you can see how some residents have left the area by car. Others have tried to prevent the fire from spreading by blowing up the ground with water.
Several residents were rescued from the beach near the town of Marathon. Summer camps in the area with about 600 children were evacuated.
Forest fires in the hot summer months are not uncommon in Greece. In 2007, a total of 77 people were killed
(for / sda / afp)
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