Athens hit by flash floods after deadly wildfires claim dozens of lives

Rushing floodwaters create muddy lake and sweep away cars

Emergency workers headed to a car park to ensure there were no people trapped, following torrential rainfall in the Greek capital (AFP/Getty)

Athens has been hit by flash flooding following torrential rain as the region reels from the impact of a devastating wildfire that has killed at least 82 people.

The Greek capital’s fire department received 140 calls for help and to pump water from flooded homes and businesses after floodwater swept away dozens of cars on Thursday.

Fire crews headed to a car park in the suburb of Maroussi to ensure there were no people trapped in cars that were bobbing in a muddy lake that was suddenly created.

Authorities urged drivers to avoid the area and shut down a side road off the main highway leading north out of Athens.

Rescuers are still searching for survivors in areas around Athens after deadly wildfires destroyed a small town and injured 180 people in addition to those killed.

The fire broke out on Monday at 4.57pm. and spread rapidly through Mati, which is fewer than 17 miles east of Athens and was popular with local tourists.

Firefighters described a rapid change in the direction of the wind, which also picked up speed, and some suggested the thick covering of pine trees and a mood of panic was a deadly combination that would have been hard to combat.

“The main factor was the wind, its speed and its direction. It should have been looked at earlier,” said World Wildlife Fund Greece director, Dimitris Karavellas.

“These people should have been ordered out of this area ... This is the only thing that could have saved them.”

Desperate relatives appeared on television to plead for information on those missing, while other residents of Mati asked why authorities had been unable to prevent so many of their neighbours from getting trapped by a wall of flame in streets with no exit route.

“This shouldn’t have happened, people perished for no reason,” a tearful woman shouted at defence minister, Panos Kammenos, as he visited the town and nearby fire-ravaged areas. “You left us at God’s mercy!”

With the toll from Greece’s deadliest wildfire in decades expected to rise further, about 300 firefighters and volunteers combed the area for dozens still missing.

The cause of the fire is still unclear, and is being investigated by an Athens prosecutor who is also reviewing the way it was handled.

One theory being examined is that the blaze was started deliberately in three locations at the same time.