Search for missing goes on after Greek fires
Emergency services in search for survivors
RESCUE CREWS were continuing to search through charred homes and cars for the missing, after wildfires devastated seaside areas near the Greek capital.
There was no official indication how many people might be missing, and some people took to social media and Greek television stations with appeals for information on their loved ones.
At least 79 people have been killed and thousands were forced to flee after the wildfires broke out on Monday.
The death toll is expected to increase as crews search more of areas affected by the fires.
More than 280 firefighters were yesterday still in the area north-east of Athens, dousing the remaining flames to prevent flare-ups. Another 200 firefighters were also tackling a second forest fire, west of Athens, where local authorities pre-emptively evacuated three nearby communities overnight, according to the fire department.
Fuelled by 50mph winds that frequently changed direction, the fires spread at speeds that surprised many, trapping hundreds on beaches.
Among those killed was newly-married Irishman Brian O’Callaghan-Westropp who became separated from his wife Zoe Holohan as they tried to flee the raging inferno around their honeymoon resort Mati.
THE DEATH toll is expected to rise, as emergency services continue to search for the missing after wildfires devastated seaside areas near the Greek capital.
At least 79 people have died and thousands more were forced to flee their homes after the fires broke out on Monday near Athens.
There was no official indication of how many people might be missing yesterday, and some took to social media and Greek television stations with appeals for information over their loved ones.
An Irishman, who died while on honeymoon after becoming caught up in the fires, was among those killed.
Newly-married Brian O’Callaghan-Westropp became separated from his wife Zoe Holohan as they fled the fires in the coastal town of Mati, Ireland’s Ambassador to Greece confirmed yesterday.
Hundreds of people abandoned cars and fled to nearby beaches, from where they were evacuated hours later by coastguard and private boats, in bids to escape the flames.
Dozens swam out to sea despite rough weather to escape the intense heat and choking smoke.
Anna Kiriazova, 56, survived with her husband by shutting themselves in their house instead of trying to flee through the flames.
“We couldn’t see any fire. The fire came suddenly,” she said.
“There was so much wind, we didn’t realise how it happened.”
She said they doused their house in the Mati area, near Rafina, with water from a garden hose, and credited the fact that their window frames were metal instead of wood for their home being spared.
“We shut ourselves in the house, we closed the shutters, we had towels over our faces,” she said.
“The inferno lasted about an hour.
“I have no words to describe what we lived through.”
Her 65-year-old husband, Theodoros Christopoulos, said the couple decided to take shelter in their home because the narrow roads outside were jammed with cars.
“There was a great panic because the whole street was blocked by cars,” he said.
“Shouting, hysteria, they could see the fire was coming with the wind.
“It already smelled a lot, the sky was black overhead and in no time at all the fire was here.”
More than 280 firefighters were yesterday still in the area north east of Athens, dousing the remaining flames to prevent flare-ups. Another 200 firefighters were tackling a second forest fire west of Athens, where local authorities pre-emptively evacuated three nearby communities overnight, according to the fire department.
Fuelled by 50mph winds that frequently changed direction, the fires spread at speeds that surprised many, trapping hundreds on beaches and cutting off escape routes.
I have no words to describe what we lived through. Anna Kiriazova, 56, who survived the disaster.