[ad_1]
"We have counted 60 deaths," he told Myron Tsagarakis, Rafina's city council, while the government still maintains the figure of 50 confirmed dead, AFP reported.
These fires are among the deadliest after those who made 77 dead in 2007.
According to Tsagarakis, the balance could increase with the discovery of people besieged by flames in their homes, because Until now, they have not been able to inspect the whole place.
A Polish mother and her son are among the dead, according to Warsaw who has not provided more details.
In Mat station, about 40 km east of Athens, 26 charred corpses were found hugged in groups, "in a last attempt to protect themselves", said the rescuer Vassilis Andriopulos.
Locals continue to report missing persons, particularly shelters set up by the Red Cross in the area, said Georgia Trisbioti, a spokeswoman for the organization.
"People are shocked, lost, some have lost everything, children, parents, homes," she says enthusiastically.
"Today, Greece is in mourning," said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, announcing in a national chain message three days of mourning in this country.
Photo: Several charred cars in an area hit by fires in Argyra Akti, Mati (EFE)
Local officials and residents on Monday described a deluge of flames on the east coast of the capital . in the afternoon, which surrounded the victims in their homes, in their vehicles or a few meters from the beaches where they were going.
Fulminating progression
In Mati, the violence of the winds, with gusts of more than 100 km / h, "caused a meteoric progression of the fire in the urban fabric", explained the spokesman for the firefighters, Stavrula Maliri.
"Mati no longer exists," Rafina Mayor Evangelos Burnus said, adding that "more than a thousand buildings and 300 vehicles" were damaged, while in some areas the carcasses of cars still smoked. in this area were seen surrounded by pine forests.
Survivors spent hours of dread drowning under clouds of ashes by the sea, during the arrival of the rescuers.
More than 700 people were evacuated by sea to Rafina.
Authorities and volunteers help those affected by the collection and distribution of water, food and clothing, while those who do not have a home are transferred to hotels and military camps, while that family and friends worry about the fate of their families. close friends
At least five people were found dead in the sea where they escaped when the advance of the flames forced the locals to go to beaches panic
The identification of victims has long been announced in this area very crowded by foreign tourists.
The fire in the area began to "evolve" after a morning break, according to the fire cell.
A front was still active in Kineta, about 50 km west of the capital, where a first fire broke out Monday morning.
No casualties were reported in Kineta, but a large number of vehicles and homes were burned to ashes.
Influx of Help
The country, which activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, is counting on the aid, notably aerial, of Spain, France, Israel, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal and Croatia, while receiving messages of condolence from abroad.
"The European Commission will not skimp on its efforts to help Greece," tweeted its president, Jean-Claude Juncker.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court opened an investigation into the causes of the incident.
Before any controversy over the response of the state apparatus began, the government pointed out that it was facing an "extreme", "asymmetrical" phenomenon, said Tsipras.
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopulos said that there were "15 simultaneous fire sources on three different fronts" in Attica.
The United States lent a drone to fly over Attica and "observe and detect any suspicious activity," he added.
Faced with this situation, the presidency of the Republic canceled the annual events scheduled for Tuesday to commemorate the restoration of democracy in Greece in July 1974.
Greece is experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures ranging up to At 40ºC, and according to weather services the conditions will continue to be complicated this Tuesday.
Photo: Several firefighters examine house by house in search of survivors in Greece (EFE)
Source link
