A tragedy is taking place in East Attica on Monday night with dozens injured, hundreds trapped as well as several people dead. A ferry boat rescued a Danish couple from the sea. The tourists had jumped and started swimming for their lives in order to escape the inferno.
One man has been confirmed dead in the wild fire in Neoz Voutzas, Rafina in East Attica. The deputy chairman of EKAV ambulance service confirmed the information that was circulating late on Monday. “We try to recover the body,” the chairman said. Information that also a woman has died in a separated incident in Mati, also in East Attica, is not confirmed by now.
Officially not confirmed is also the information that a person was found dead at the beach of Rafina.
+++ Six more bodies were discovered, among them are two little girls.
Short after midnight, ERT reported that two dead have been officially confirmed. They were found in their burned down vehicles, one in Kallitexnoupoli and one in Mati.
Citing police sources, an ERT reporter spoke earlier of “several people dead”. As the fire is still raging one hour before midnight burning down houses and forest, firefighters and health personnel do not have access to all the sites.
Ten missing tourists have been reportedly found.
A young child, a boy that was missing was also found. Police was shouting the boy’s name through megaphones.
The blaze has reached the coast of East Attica and people jumped in the sea to save themselves. A reporter on board of a ferry approaching the port of Rafina described the rescue operation of a couple of Danish tourists. The ferry was reportedly ordered by authorities order to stop and rescue the people swimming for their lives. “They were rescued 1.2 nautical miles off the port,” the reporter said. The couple said they jumped into the sea to escape the inferno and were drifted away from the currents. They said that more people were swimming for their lives.
According to exclusive information by local media irafina.gr, the two adults and three children were rescued from the sea.
The number of injured has increased to 56. The fire broke out in the area of Penteli mountain at 5 o’ clock on Monday afternoon.
Eleven of the injured are in critical condition after having suffered extensive burning injuries. They are intubated in Intensive Care Units in hospitals in Athens, the EKAV confirmed.
The injured have suffered respiratory problems and or burning injuries.
The injured are the hospitals of Evaggelismos, Sismanogleio and KATT
Some 300 people are reportedly trapped in the sea village of Mati and dozens are at the port of Rafina awaiting to be evacuated.
The Greek Navy has deployed one vessels and one frigate in order to evacuate the people.
Landing ship Ikaria and frigate ELLi left the port of Salamina and are heading to East Attica. They carry also medial personnel in order to offer medial assistance to the people.
The Greek Coast Guard also deploys vessels to evacuate people, a boat is patrolling along the coast.
The Coast Guard urged people who feel they can only be evacuated by sea to call 3-digit number <108> and to not call the media for this purpose.
Video: Leoforos MArathona earlier
Traffic in Leoforos Marathonas has been halted and police calls on people to us alternative routes.
The wild fire burned several vehicles with the effect that people could not flee the blaze. At the same time, the raging fire had cut traffic on Marathonas motorway that leads to Athens, alternative routes were fully packed with cars in traffic jams and residents in panic.
Ματι Αττικής φωτό από φίλο στο fb #Πυρκαγια pic.twitter.com/bmuxN3EXNz
— Rantaplan (@todlermom) July 23, 2018
According to Fire Service information around 70 vehicles were burned down.
Latest reports say that evacuation from Rafina port has started.
The mayor of Marathonas has leased rooms in hotel “Marathonas Beach” and calls on residents to go there and not sleep on the streets.
Greece has asked international assistance through the EU Emergency Civil Protection program, mainly aerial means to combat the wild fires that have broke out not only in Attica Prefecture but also in other regions like Chania, Crete, Epirus and Corinth in Peloponnese.
Cyprus has immediately offer to deploy aerial means and firefighters, Spain offered two aerial means. Italy has not responded to the Greek request yet, as Sweden that also exposed to dozens of wild fires has requested deployment extension of foreign aid.
