Huddled together, in a last embrace
‘All the trees at the beach burst into flames’
The 26 bodies were found huddled together, in a last embrace. The group, many of them children, had been driven to the sea in an attempt to escape the Greek wildfire, only to be engulfed metres from the shore.
“We assume they became trapped by the fire because it was so strong and so fast,” Haris Malimagolou, from the Hellenic Red Cross, said in the resort of Mati.
“Some were huddled together as if trying to protect each other. They were badly burned and have not been identified.”
The official toll from the “biblical disaster” stood at 74, but was expected to rise. Survivors described their efforts to escape, amid mounting anger at the lack of resources to tackle the blaze and to warn locals and holidaymakers.
Paulina Corvisier, 25, from Lyon, on holiday in a villa in central Mati, fought back tears as she displayed cuts and bruises sustained while scrambling over rocks to escape.
“We ran to the beach. We were all crowded on to the sand and rocks. Then all the trees surrounding the beach burst into flames. I jumped in the water because I didn’t know what else to do. Ash was falling on me from the sky while I was in the water.”
She questioned the lack of official help for the victims of what was being seen as a bushfire more deadly than one in 2007 that killed 77 people.
“We were not informed and were not evacuated,” she said. “There was a big lack of communication.”
Kostas Laganos, another survivor, said: “We went into the sea because the flames were chasing us all the way to the water. It burned our backs. “It reminded me of the eruption at Pompeii. It was terrible.”
The fires, which hit four separate areas of Greece, began on Monday in Corinth. But by far the worst hit was Mati, a small town in the eastern region of Rafina, popular with young Greek families and pensioners.
Hundreds of people were rescued by boats after roads became blocked by the fire and by burning cars. Several bodies were recovered and more than 700 people were taken to the port of Rafina. “Mati no longer exists,” said Evangelos Bournous, the Mayor of Rafina. More than 1000 buildings and 300 cars were damaged, the village turned into a smouldering wreck.
Countries including Cyprus, Spain, Turkey, Croatia and Germany, offered support. Italy is dispatching two Canadair firefighting planes and Romania is sending a third aircraft. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission chief, tweeted that the EU “will spare no effort to help”.
But firefighters in Greece have long been warning that austerity measures imposed by Europe and the IMF meant they were ill equipped for a major incident. Two firemen said: “We have been asking for more resources for many years. We have been asking for a new aircraft. But even if we’d had 10 it may not have made a difference as the fire was so strong because of the winds, and houses and trees so close together.” Panos Kapatis, the vice-Mayor of Rafina, said fire and rescue arrived promptly but the dense pine forests around Mati were highly flammable.
It was reported that some who jumped into the sea died from smoke inhalation as fumes billowed across the water. Other bodies were found inside houses and burnt-out cars. The youngest victim was thought to be a 6-month-old baby who died from smoke inhalation, while three women and a child drowned in the sea.
Panos Skourletis, the Interior Minister, described the wildfires as “biblical” and said rescue workers were “still searching to see if there are more missing”, while Bournous warned: “The number of dead is rising.”