Forest fires that have killed at least 63 people in Greece raged for a fifth day on Tuesday, although they were not threatening any villages, a firefighters’ spokesperson said.
”The fires are still out of control. At the moment there is no threat to the villages, but the direction of the wind is impossible to predict,” the spokesperson said.
The mountainous southern peninsula of Peloponnese, where 59 people have died since Friday when they were trapped in isolated villages engulfed by flames, remained the worst-affected region.
On Monday, Greek authorities had dispatched helicopters to winch trapped people out of blazing hamlets impossible to reach by land.
Seven planes and four helicopters were operating in the Eleia district of the Peloponnese, dropping water on the blazing forests. Three water-dropping helicopters were operating in the central Peloponnese.
Fires were also still burning in forests on Evia, the island north of Athens where the other four victims had died, the spokesperson said.
Fires broke out in the Aitoloakarnania district of western Greece and further north in Thesprotia.
In a battle to save Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games in the Peloponnese peninsula, firefighters managed to beat back fires menacing the ancient stadiums and temples on Sunday.
Overwhelmed by the catastrophe, Greece has declared a nationwide emergency and sought help from its European Union partners to contain the fires.
More than 800 Greek firefighters and 800 soldiers were being assisted by water-bombing aircraft and firefighters from a host of countries.
Greek authorities believe many of the fires were started deliberately. Seven people have been charged with arson.
The government, facing snap elections on September 16, has offered rewards of up to â,¬1-million for help in tracking down arsonists. Many local mayors have accused rogue land developers of setting fires to make way for new construction. — Sapa-AFP, Reuters