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Rescuers search fire-devastated Greek areas as toll hits 81
ATHENS, July 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – At least 81 people died in huge wildfires
around Athens, Greek authorities have said, as rescuers scoured scorched
homes and burned-out cars for victims of one of the world’s deadliest fire
outbreaks.
Scores of locals and holidaymakers fled to the sea to try to escape the
flames as they tore through towns and villages near the capital stoked by
100-kilometre-per-hour wind gusts, devouring woodland and hundreds of
buildings.
Greek media have described the disaster as a “national tragedy”, while
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three
days of national mourning.
A young Irishman on honeymoon was among those who died, the British
embassy in Greece confirmed.
According to British media, Brian O’Callaghan-Westropp had been on
honeymoon in the coastal village of Mati when his car was caught in the
wildfires.
Although his new wife Zoe managed to escape to a nearby beach, she was
taken to hospital with burns, the reports said.
Fire service spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said Wednesday that 81 people
were now known to have died. The toll surpasses the 77 people killed in the
previous deadliest fires in Greece, on the southern island of Evia in 2007.
Apart from the Irishman, the victims included three other tourists — a
Polish mother and her son, as well as a Belgian national whose teenage
daughter survived the blaze.
Maliri said firefighters continued to search for bodies after receiving
numerous calls reporting people missing.
It is possible that some of those unaccounted for “will be among the
victims”, Maliri said.
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She added that relatives of those missing had been asked to provide DNA
samples to help authorities identify bodies.
When the fires broke out on Monday evening, terrified residents and
tourists were overtaken by the flames in homes, on foot or in their cars. AFP
photographers saw the burnt bodies of people and dogs.
– ‘Wall of flame’ –
Survivors have given harrowing accounts of fleeing the fast-moving blaze
with only the clothes on their backs, as flames engulfed whole towns.
“My husband said we had to leave with our seven-year-old grandson,”
Kiriaki Alexiadou, a resident of the devastated village of Mati, told AFP.
“We ran to the car as the pine cones were burning on the trees.”
Choking back the tears on Wednesday, 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.”
The burned bodies of 26 people, including small children, were discovered
at a villa in Mati, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Athens, rescuers
said.
At least six people died trying to escape the flames into the sea, where
some 715 people were evacuated by boat, the government said.
“There was at least 300 of us. The worst thing was the smoke, it hurt to
breathe,” said Mati resident Sabi Kissov.
Rescue teams on Wednesday were going house to house to search for missing
people in the village.
– Rain forecast –
Volunteers were also doing the rounds to provide food to those whose
houses survived relatively unscathed but which have experienced sporadic
power cuts since the fire struck.
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“In 40 years here we’ve seen several fires each year” in the hills where
Monday’s blaze broke out said resident Andreas Matsios. “But we never
imagined they would ever reach Mati.”
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 kilometres west of Athens.
Dozens of firefighters were battling the flames around Kineta aided by
helicopters and planes dropping thousands of gallons of water.
Some 187 people were hospitalised 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.
– ‘Armageddon’ –
Shock was giving way to public anger Wednesday, with several media
questioning how such a devastating blaze could have hit a country well used
to wildfires.
The opposition Te Nea daily criticised the government’s “inability to
protext its citizens just a few kilometres from Athens”.
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.
BSS/AFP/MR/1050 hrs