Athens:  Three-day national mourning has been declared in Greece, as emergency services search for survivors of the wildfires that have killed at least 74 people, said a BBC News report on Wednesday.

Winds of up to 100km/h 60mph have been fanning the flames near the capital Athens.

On Tuesday, the bodies of 26 adults and children were found on a clifftop, apparently having died embracing each other when they could not escape the fires. Rescuers are searching houses, cars and the coastline, amid fears the death toll will rise.

The seaside resort of Mati, where people ran into the sea in an effort to stay alive, was described by one survivor as having experienced a “biblical catastrophe”. Officials have suggested that arsonists, looking to loot abandoned homes, may have started more fires. Here are pictures of the devastation caused. And we look at what allows wildfires to spread.

(UNI)