Greek wildfires devastate resort town
At least 49 people have been killed, dozens injured and hundreds rescued from the sea after wildfires, thought to have been started deliberately, swept through Mati, near Athens
At least 49 people have been killed, dozens injured and hundreds rescued from the sea after wildfires, thought to have been started deliberately, swept through Mati, near Athens. A state of emergency has been declared in the region, and all emergency forces have been mobilised, according to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Army helicopters were deployed to rescue people who had fled to the sea shore to escape the flames, while a military plane has been sent to collect 60 firefighters from nearby Cyrpus, and two water-dropping planes are soon to arrive from Spain. The Greek coastguard has retrieved the bodies of four people from the sea off Mati, rescuing 696 people who had reached the safety of nearby beaches. Other boats picked up 19 people from the sea. Nine coastal patrol vessels, along with two military boats and those owned by private citizens joined the rescue effort to save those stranded in Rafina harbour.
A dry winter and hot summer means that the areas surrounding the Greek capital of Athens are like a ‘tinderbox’ according to emergency workers.