International desk: Raging wildfires killed 74 people in Greece, devouring homes and forests as terrified residents fled to the sea to escape the flames, authorities said yesterday, reports AFP.
Orange flames engulfed pine forests, turning them to ash and leaving lines of charred cars in the smoke-filled streets of seaside towns near Athens.
Rescuers rushed to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches after some were caught by the flames in their cars or on foot.
Video footage showed people fleeing by car as the tourist-friendly surrounding Attica region declared a state of emergency.
“I saw the fire move down the hill at around 6:00 pm and five or ten minutes later it was in my garden,” said 60-year old Athanasia Oktapodi.
His home is surround by dry pine trees.
“They caught fire. I ran out like a crazy person, got to the beach and put my head in the water. Then the patrol boats came.” The toll soared to 50 after the bodies of 26 people, including small children, were discovered in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the capital.
Local councillor Myron Tsagarakis in Rafina, the largest town in the area most affected by the fires, later told AFP that 60 had been counted dead overall.
