The figure can go up considerably, since in different locations in eastern Athens carbonized bodies are still found.
The number of dead in the severe fires that have devastated yesterday the coast to the northeast of Athens already amounts to 50, while the injured are 156, according to the last balance of this Tuesday (24.07.2018) of Civil Protection, which has warned that there may be more fatalities.
All the victims have been found in the area between the port of Rafina, some 30 kilometers from Athens, and Nea Makri, some ten kilometers further north.
Television reporters from the scene pointed out that the number can rise considerably, given that in different locations in eastern Athens carbonized bodies are still being found. A journalist from the Skai chain reported that the bodies of two women and their children were found in a house.
“The women had embraced their children in desperation to protect them from the flames,” the reporter said. The corpse of another child was also found. The Firemen plan to present a balance during the morning.
At the moment, no tourists were reported among the victims. In the port city of Rafina the flames are reaching the center. Thousands of people are fleeing the region. Hundreds of them were saved from the flames in the sea. For hours, fishing boats and other boats took people out of the water. In the port of Rafina dozens of people look for their relatives with photos.
Clouds of smoke
The fire was so great that clouds of smoke could be seen over Athens and even the sun went dark. In the region to the west and east of the capital thousands of Athenians have their weekend homes. Several mayors told reporters that only in East Athens more than 200 homes and hundreds of cars were destroyed or damaged.
“The so-called worst possible scenario occurred,” Civil Protection chief Giannis Kapalis told television. The flames burn in an area densely covered with pines full of summer houses. Many people fled and several children camps had to be evacuated. Some regions have no electricity, no telephone and no Internet. Due to the intense smoke, the roads between Athens and Corinth were closed.
Greece asked for help from other countries of the European Union (EU) to fight the fire, a spokeswoman for the Fire Department said. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was concerned. “My thoughts are with the people and the intervention forces,” he told Greek television ERT, while expressing the suspicion that the fire may have been provoked.
Tsipras interrupted a trip to Bosnia Herzegovina and returned tonight to Greece, according to the station. The prime minister ordered firefighters from other regions, as well as the army, to go to Athens to help control the situation, state radio reported. Currently in Greece there are temperatures around 40 degrees. In addition, there are strong winds in the affected region.
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