Deadly Fire Claims More than 60 Lives in Attica, Greece

By Virginia Nyambura

A deadly fire has claimed at least 60 lives in the Attica region around Athens in what has been termed as Greece’s worst fire disaster in more than a decade by the BBC News.

The deadly fire raged and was fanned by strong winds devouring property and claiming lives in the seaside village of Mati.

Firefighters continue to battle with the blazing flames as authorities seek international assistance.

At one time during the operation, rescuers found 26 bodies hugged together as they had been trapped by the raging inferno a few meters from the sea.

Most of the lost lives are said to be tourists who were trying to seek a way out but did not manage as the fire caught up with them.

The wildfire reduced more than 40 kilometers from the Mati village to ashes on Monday and was still burning today morning.

The fire left the villagers poor, with more than 150 people nursing serious injuries. A majority of the survivors dived into the sea where they said the fire chased them to. One of the survivors, George Vokas, termed the disastrous inferno as a biblical catastrophe in the wonderful area of Mati.

Alexis Tsipras, Greece Prime Minister, declared a state of emergency in Attica mobilizing all the emergency services. He further added that the country was to go for national mourning for three days following the tragedy.

Poland, Italy, France, and Germany are some of the countries that have sent support such as planes, vehicles, and firefighters.

Temperatures are set to keep on soaring and it is therefore crucial that the fire is put out.

The cause of the fires is yet to be established but officials who refused to be quoted suggested that it is likely that the fire was started by arsonists who were hoping to loot some of the abandoned homes.

High temperatures have mostly been attributed to the raging fires with heat waves contributing to the loss of lives too like in cases of Japan where the heat wave has currently been declared a national disaster following 65 deaths for the past one week.