Greece wildfire death toll reaches 81

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Europe

Rescuers were searching scorched homes and burnt out cars for any signs of life as the death toll of the devastating Athens fires reached 81, Greek authorities said on Wednesday.

Moving from a house on Wednesday rescuers found burned bodies of 26 people, including small children, at a villa in Mati, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Athens.

Among those killed in the devastating inferno that tore through towns and villages near the capital on Monday evening was a young Irishman Brian O'Callaghan-Westropp, who had been on a honeymoon with his wife Zoe, as well as a Polish mother and her son, and a Belgian national whose teenage daughter survived the blaze.

According to British media, O'Callaghan-Westropp had been on honeymoon in the coastal village of Mati when his car was caught in the wildfires. Zoe managed to escape to a nearby beach and was taken to hospital with burns.

Members of a rescue team search for missing persons following a wildfire at Mati village, east of Athens, Greece, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Fire service spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri confirmed the deaths, saying firefighters continued to search for bodies after receiving numerous calls reporting people missing. She said relatives of those missing have been asked to provide DNA samples to help authorities identify bodies. It was possible that some of those unaccounted for "will be among the victims", Maliri said.

Described by Greek media as a "national tragedy" as the Athens fires' death toll surpassed the 77 people killed on the Southern Island of Evia in 2007, the raging inferno was stoked by 100 kilometers per hour wind gusts, forcing scores of locals and holidaymakers to flee to the sea in a bid to escape the flames.

But some of those who tried to escape, couldn't succeed. At least six people died trying to escape the flames into the sea, where some 715 people were evacuated by boat, the government said.

A charred doll is seen among ashes after a wildfire north of Athens. /VCG Photo‍

"There was at least 300 of us. The worst thing was the smoke, it hurt to breathe," said Mati resident Sabi Kissov.

Another Mati resident who survived the inferno choked back tears on Wednesday as she pointed to the charred skeleton of a house next to hers.

"The policewoman who lived there, her husband and their two children left on foot towards the sea, but they were trapped by this wall of flame," said Kiriaki Alexiadou.

While her neighbors perished, she and her family survived.

"My husband said we had to leave with our seven-year-old grandson. We ran to the car as the pine cones were burning on the trees," Alexiadou said.

Mati resident Andreas Matsios said "in 40 years here we've seen several fires each year" in the hills where Monday's blaze broke out said, "but we never imagined they would ever reach Mati."

Charred trees and vehicles are seen after a wildfire north of Athens. /VCG Photo‍

Some 187 people were hospitalized after Monday's fires, with 71 still being treated on Wednesday, including almost a dozen children, most of whom were in a "serious condition", the fire services said.

Volunteers were also doing the rounds to provide food to those whose houses survived relatively unscathed but who have experienced sporadic power cuts since the fire struck.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning, but the shock was giving way to public anger on Wednesday, with several media questioning how such a devastating blaze could have hit a country well used to wildfires.

The opposition Te Nea daily criticized the government's "inability to protect its citizens just a few kilometers from Athens."

Members of a rescue team search inside a destroyed house following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The front page of the Ethnos newspaper showed a charred Greek flag with the headline: "Armageddon."

Tsipras chaired a meeting of his emergency management committee on Wednesday though no statement was issued.

The European Union activated its Civil Protection Mechanism after Greece sought help. Several countries said they were sending aircraft to help fight the flames.

"Today is a day of great sorrow for the Greek people and for all of Europe," The EU's humanitarian crisis manager Christos Stylianides said on Twitter.

The wildfires come as record temperatures in northern Europe have also seen blazes cause widespread damage in recent days.

Rain is forecast for the coming days, which will help efforts to douse the flames after temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday.

But another blaze was threatening houses near the seaside town of Kineta, 25 kilometers west of Athens.

Dozens of firefighters were battling the flames around Kineta aided by helicopters and planes dropping thousands of gallons of water.

Source(s): AFP