ATHENS, Aug 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday battled for a second day a large wildfire near Athens that left one dead, with strong winds raising fears it could spread.
A fire department spokesman said over 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometres southeast of Athens.
“The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,” the spokesman said.
Dozens of people were evacuated late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the nearby coastal resort of Palea Fokea.
Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea.
Gale-force winds on Friday also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos.
The 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man were on a cruise ship group visiting the lunar-like, volcanic rock beach, the coastguard said.
A coastguard spokeswoman said the woman had fallen into the water, and the man had tried to help her.
Greece’s national weather service EMY said winds of up to 74 kilometres an hour were forecast for Saturday.
The weather on Friday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted Saturday. — NNN-AGENCIES