ATHENS, GREECE - JULY 23: Firefighters and volunteers try to extinguish the fire broke out at forested land in Penteli town of Athens, Greece on July 23, 2018. (Photo by Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Fires broke out in Greece on Monday (Picture: Getty Images)

At least 50 people have died and many more have been injured as wildfires swept through Greece, close to the capital, Athens.

Homes, farms, forests and cars have been burned as the fires leave a lengthy path of destruction and cause people to take refuge on beaches and even force them out into the sea on boats.

High winds of up to 50mph have caused the rapid spread of the fires that have caused Greece to seek international help through the EU.

There are fears that the death toll could still rise as bodies have been found in the sea this morning.

epa06906910 A rooster, decoration of a burned house is seen during a forest fire in Mati a northeast suburb of Athens, Greece, 23 July 2018. After the wildfire in Kineta a second wildfire broke out in the Penteli Mountain. Two major forest fires were raging out of control on either side of the Greek capital Monday, burning houses, prompting residents to flee and turning the sky over Athens a hazy orange from the smoke. EPA/YANNIS KOLESIDIS
Houses have been burned down in Mati a northeast suburb of Athens (Picture: EPA)

Where are the fires?

The fires have ripped through the Athens region, known as the Attica region or the Attic peninsula, specifically the coastal towns of Mati, Rafina and Kineta.

Mati and Rafina are are to the east of Athens, whilst Kineta is 35 miles to the west, towards Corinth.

Kineta, Mati and Rafina have been badly affected (Picture: Metro/Google)

The fire posed no immediate threat to Greece’s famed ancient monuments, but as it raged inland children’s’ summer camps and holiday homes were hastily abandoned.

Fleeing drivers clogged highways into Athens, hampering the firefighting effort.

It has been the deadliest fire season to hit Greece in more than a decade when more than 60 people were killed in 2007.

A man looks at the flames as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece, July 23, 2018. REUTERS/Costas Baltas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A man looks at the flames as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens (Picture: REUTERS)

Rafina is the biggest of the towns hit by the fires, with a population recorded at over 13,000 in the 2011 census.

Comparatively small, Kineta has less than 2,000 people and Mati is recorded at just 200, although it is a popular holiday destination.

Up Next

‘It’s a difficult night for Greece,’ Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after flying back to Athens from a trip to Bosnia that was cut short.

Greek Fire Service officials issued public pleas for residents in fire-affected areas to comply with evacuation orders and not stay on in an effort trying to save their homes.

Rafina’s mayor said he believed about 100 houses in that area had burned.

The fire service was not able to confirm the figure.

Heavy rain is forecast across southern Greece on Wednesday.

MORE : Heatwave declared ‘natural disaster’ after 65 die and 22,647 fall ill in Japan

MORE : ‘Gloriously ugly’ motorway service station named worst in England