Panic in Greece as deadly wildfire tears through holiday hotspot

One person has died as horrifying wildfires tore through Greece for a second day on Saturday. Over 260 firefighters, nearly 80 fire engines, and 12 aircraft were called in to tackle the blaze near Keratea, roughly 27 miles southeast of Athens. A fire department spokesperson told AFP that it has "weakened but there are still active pockets". Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the fire had ripped through 10,000 acres of brush and forest.

He told state news agency ANA: "Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land." Another fire then broke out near the town of Kouvaras but was quickly controlled. An elderly man was later found dead in a hut near Keratea after passing away in his bed.

Winds of up to 45mph fanned the blaze, and there are fears that these conditions will continue until at least Monday, the National Observatory in Athens said.

Dozens of people were evacuated from their homes and an elderly care centre on Friday as the flames drew closer to the coastal town of Palaia Fokaia.

The area - an hour's drive from Athens - was left charred and homes incinerated after strong winds blew the flames through the settlement on Saturday.

Houses were left with caved-in roofs as residents wearing masks returned to salvage what they could from the wreckage.

Firefighters looked through trees to spray any embers with water to ensure the fire did not start up again.

Seven areas have been evacuated in total: Synterina, Dimolaki, Maliasteka, Agiasma, Charvalo, Drosia and the settlement of Ari.

Ari was hit particularly hard, with the fire travelling from one end to the other. Roads were cut off as the flames crossed fields and reached residential areas.

Over the last 24 hours, more than 50 agricultural and forest fires have broken out across Greece, making it one of the worst days for wildfires this summer.