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Title : Breaking: Wildfires kill at least 60 near Athens, families embrace as flames close in
link : Breaking: Wildfires kill at least 60 near Athens, families embrace as flames close in
Breaking: Wildfires kill at least 60 near Athens, families embrace as flames close in
At least 60 people have died in wildfires in the Attica region around Athens, in Greece's worst fire disaster in more than a decade.Flames fanned by strong winds devastated the seaside village of Mati, devouring homes and cars.
Rescuers found the bodies of 26 adults and children who had apparently hugged each other as they died, trapped by the inferno just metres from the sea.
Many calls have been made to the rescue services looking for missing persons.
Mati is located in the Rafina region which is popular with local tourists, especially pensioners and children attending holiday camps.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blazes and the authorities are seeking international assistance.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared three days of national mourning.
Most shocking scene I have ever witnessed
By Kostas Koukoumakas, Mati
What is happening here in eastern Attica is a black hell. After I passed by hundreds of burning cars and houses earlier today, I reached the yard where police said so many people had been found dead.
I could see some of them lying on the ground as fog covered the place and a toxic smell spread through the atmosphere.
Most of them were tourists who had tried to find refuge but did not make it.
"I am calling my cousin but he does not respond," said Spiros Hatziandreou, who visited the spot.
I could see flames in the trees and on the electricity poles all around. After that, police blocked access to everyone except rescuers.
How badly burnt is Mati?
Fire swept through the village 40km (25 miles) north-east of Athens on Monday and was still burning in some areas on Tuesday morning.
Desperate families trying to reach the safety of the sea were trapped by walls of smoke and flame. Others died in buildings or cars.
After the 26 bodies were found in an open space, Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece's Red Cross, said: "They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced."
Dimitri Piros, director of medical services for Ekav, Greece's nationwide ambulance service, told the BBC people had suffered horrific injuries because of the speed of the fire.
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