Horror moment desperate families run into the SEA to flee wildfires on holiday island as deadly blazes rip through towns

Scottish Sun

3 days ago

THIS is the terrifying moment Greek families dash into the sea and swim away in a desperate attempt to escape deadly wildfires.
Heart-stopping footage showed Hellenic Red Cross volunteers pulling up frightened survivors as a hellish inferno tore through their neighbourhood.
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Horrifying footage showed desperate locals swim in the sea to escape the blaze
Credit: Instagram/hellenicredcross
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Firefighters working to battle another blaze in Greece
Credit: Instagram/hellenicredcross
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Wildfires raged on across their neighbourhood
Credit: Instagram/hellenicredcross
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The dramatic footage was captured in Vrachneika, Achaia, over 200km from the Greek capital, Athens, on Tuesday.
It showed a frantic rescue operation unfold, with several locals being hauled onto a boat after jumping into the water to avoid the flames.
In the distance, nightmare wildfires can be seen ripping through the landscape.
The sky appears to be filled with ash, the only light piercing through the grey clouds being the orange hue coming from the hellish flames.
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It comes as fire crews across the country race to contain a number of other wildfires.
In Patras, jaw-dropping footage showed flames violently burning through trees around two bridges.
The nightmare scenes showed strong winds gushing through the area, sparking even more trees alight.
The wildfires have not only hit Greece - they have also been reported in a range of other Brit holiday hotspots across Europe.
Wildfires killed one person in Spain as authorities warned the situation remained "serious".
The 37-year-old volunteer firefighter sustained severe burns north of Madrid before succumbing to his injuries earlier this week.
A major incident has been declared by firefighters tackling a large moor fire in the North York Moors National Park
It was the third reported death in Spain due to the recent horror fires.
Thousands of holidaymakers have been evacuated from their hotels as the massive fires continue to wreak havoc.
Tourists were fleeing Greece's Zakynthos and Kefalonia islands "by the minute" on Wednesday as fires continued to rip through the Mediterranean.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the fire, which authorities said could have been deliberately set.
Evacuation centres were also filled to max capacity in parts of central Spain, with some spending the night outdoors on folding beds.
Services along a high-speed rail link between Madrid and the northwestern Galicia region were suspended after fires got close to some sections of the tracks, state rail company Renfe said.
In Turkey, a forestry worker was killed on Wednesday while responding to a wildfire in a southern region, officials said.
Turkey has been battling severe wildfires since late June. A total of 18 people have been killed, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who died in July.
In Greece - the latest country to face the wrath of raging fires - officials ordered young Brit revellers to leave hotels as a "precautionary measure".
One local official spoke of "an unending nightmare" as houses, farms and factories in the city of Patras and large parts of northern and central Greece have been devastated by the flames.
Since Wednesday morning, 4,850 firefighters backed by the army and 33 planes have been scrambled across Greece.