Greece Wildfire: Fire brigade says death toll now at 74

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Europe

02:35

Greece has declared three days of national mourning after wildfires near the capital, Athens killed at least 74 people. However, it's still unclear how many are still missing after what Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called an "unspeakable tragedy". CGTN's Filio Kontrafouri has more from the village of Mati, a holiday resort on the east coast.

All that's left is a black hell. Fire swept through this village on Monday and within a few hours hundreds of homes and cars were destroyed. Dozens of lives lost. Clean-up crews and rescue teams got to work early Tuesday, searching for survivors. They found bodies instead.

GIANNA KALDERI RESCUER "We found 12 dead at the beach, they were brought here by the winds. We called authorities, they took them away and we found one burned body between the burned cars. We're searching inside the burned homes, anywhere where there could be people. May God help us with what has happened here."

Survivors say the fire appeared to chase them. People abandoned their cars and fled the blaze. Hundreds of firefighters were battling the fire, but winds with speeds over 95 kilometers per hour kept whipping up the flames.

FILIO KONTRAFOURI MATI VILLAGE, GREECE "Everything happened within minutes. People stricken with panic started rushing towards the sea, many of them ending up in beaches like the one right there. They then fell in the water, where they stayed for hours until they were rescued."

KLEOPATRA FITOU SURVIVOR "I was holding my mom in my arms for four and-a-half hours in the water. She doesn't know how to swim and at times, because of the smoke, I couldn't see her and she was in my arms. Let alone that we couldn't breathe."

Not all were so lucky. Twenty-six adults and children were found dead, hugging each other in a yard, just meters from the sea. They were trapped. Others survived only because they could find a path to the water.

EVI KAVOURA SURVIVOR "It was a matter of seconds, to make a decision. I abandoned the car here (in the middle of the street), grabbed my three year-old daughter and went down towards the sea, following a path next to where the 26 bodies were found. And, we barely made it and jumped in the water."

Dozens of people remain missing while rescue crews continue to search the area door-to-door. Coast Guard vessels remain nearby, looking for people that may have drowned while awaiting rescue. While the fire may be out, the search for answers to one of the biggest tragedies in Greece's modern history is just beginning. Filio Kontrafouri, CGTN, Mati Village, Greece.