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RAFINA, Greece*-- Twin*wildfires raging*through popular seaside areas near the Greek capital have torched homes, cars and forests and killed at least 74 people, authorities said Tuesday, raising the death toll after rescue crews reported finding the bodies of more than 20 people huddled together near a beach. CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports the fires are the worst Greece has seen since 2007, prompting the government to issue an urgent appeal for help in battling the blazes, which have swept through a beach resort community popular with tourists and retirees.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared three days of national mourning for those killed by the fires.*
The Greek coast guard and passing boats picked up more than 700 people who'd fled to the water's edge to try and escape the flames and choking smoke, according to Merchant Marine deputy minister Nektarios Santorinios, but tragically the fire moved too fast for others to save themselves.
The head of Greece's Red Cross, Nikos Oikonomopoulos, told Skai television a member of a Red Cross rescue team had told him the crew searching a seaside area northeast of Athens had found 26 bodies, apparently families, huddled tightly together, many of them hugging. The group is believed to have been discovered near several cars found charred outside a walled compound gutted by the fire.
[https://cbsnews1-cbsistatic-com]Cars burnt by a wildfire in the village of Mati, near Athens, July 24, 2018.Getty
"Everything happened in seconds," said local resident Andreaas Passios, who lives next to the compound. "I grabbed a beach towel. It saved my life. I soaked it, grabbed my wife and we ran to the sea."
Passios said he and his wife stayed by the sea for two hours. "It was unbelievable. Gas canisters were exploding, burning pine cones were flying everywhere.
Spyros Hadjiandreou arrived on the spot looking for missing loved ones.
"My niece and cousin were staying here on holiday. I don't know if they made it out," he said. "I don't know if they are ok, I haven't heard from them."
Greek fire officials said Tuesday that the confirmed death toll had reached 74, with at least 187 others injured, including 23 children. It was unclear how many remained missing.
The fires - one about 30 miles west of Athens in Kineta, the other to the northeast of the capital near Rafina - broke out Monday from as-yet-undetermined causes. Fanned by gale-force winds, they spread rapidly into inhabited areas in popular holiday seaside areas, preventing many who were in their cars or homes from managing to flee, fire department spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said.
[https://cbsnews1-cbsistatic-com]A firefighter wears a flame resistant uniform as wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece, on Mon., July 23, 2018.Reuters
One of the survivors from the fire-stricken area near Rafina was former Greek Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga.
"The police tried to direct us away from the fire. But we couldn't escape it," she said. "We got stuck in traffic and the flames were on top of us. We managed to find a small gap and we made it out."
Greece sought international help through the European Union as fires on either side of Athens left lines of cars torched, charred farms and forests, and sent hundreds of people racing to beaches to be evacuated by navy vessels, yachts and fishing boats. The coast guard said 19 people had been found at sea and rescued, while 696 had been picked up from beaches and coastline by boat.
Spain was sending two firefighting aircraft while Cyprus was sending in 60 firefighters to help battle the flames. Israel and Turkey both also offered to help in any way they could.
The fire department said 156 adults and 16 children were hospitalized with injuries. Eleven of the adults were in serious condition.
Winds reached 50 mph as authorities deployed the country's entire fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters to give vacationers time to escape. Military drones remained in the air in the high winds to help officials direct more than 600 firefighters on the ground.
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared three days of national mourning for those killed by the fires.*
The Greek coast guard and passing boats picked up more than 700 people who'd fled to the water's edge to try and escape the flames and choking smoke, according to Merchant Marine deputy minister Nektarios Santorinios, but tragically the fire moved too fast for others to save themselves.
The head of Greece's Red Cross, Nikos Oikonomopoulos, told Skai television a member of a Red Cross rescue team had told him the crew searching a seaside area northeast of Athens had found 26 bodies, apparently families, huddled tightly together, many of them hugging. The group is believed to have been discovered near several cars found charred outside a walled compound gutted by the fire.
[https://cbsnews1-cbsistatic-com]Cars burnt by a wildfire in the village of Mati, near Athens, July 24, 2018.Getty
"Everything happened in seconds," said local resident Andreaas Passios, who lives next to the compound. "I grabbed a beach towel. It saved my life. I soaked it, grabbed my wife and we ran to the sea."
Passios said he and his wife stayed by the sea for two hours. "It was unbelievable. Gas canisters were exploding, burning pine cones were flying everywhere.
Spyros Hadjiandreou arrived on the spot looking for missing loved ones.
"My niece and cousin were staying here on holiday. I don't know if they made it out," he said. "I don't know if they are ok, I haven't heard from them."
Greek fire officials said Tuesday that the confirmed death toll had reached 74, with at least 187 others injured, including 23 children. It was unclear how many remained missing.
The fires - one about 30 miles west of Athens in Kineta, the other to the northeast of the capital near Rafina - broke out Monday from as-yet-undetermined causes. Fanned by gale-force winds, they spread rapidly into inhabited areas in popular holiday seaside areas, preventing many who were in their cars or homes from managing to flee, fire department spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said.
[https://cbsnews1-cbsistatic-com]A firefighter wears a flame resistant uniform as wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece, on Mon., July 23, 2018.Reuters
One of the survivors from the fire-stricken area near Rafina was former Greek Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga.
"The police tried to direct us away from the fire. But we couldn't escape it," she said. "We got stuck in traffic and the flames were on top of us. We managed to find a small gap and we made it out."
Greece sought international help through the European Union as fires on either side of Athens left lines of cars torched, charred farms and forests, and sent hundreds of people racing to beaches to be evacuated by navy vessels, yachts and fishing boats. The coast guard said 19 people had been found at sea and rescued, while 696 had been picked up from beaches and coastline by boat.
Spain was sending two firefighting aircraft while Cyprus was sending in 60 firefighters to help battle the flames. Israel and Turkey both also offered to help in any way they could.
The fire department said 156 adults and 16 children were hospitalized with injuries. Eleven of the adults were in serious condition.
Winds reached 50 mph as authorities deployed the country's entire fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters to give vacationers time to escape. Military drones remained in the air in the high winds to help officials direct more than 600 firefighters on the ground.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
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