Greek wildfires toll rises to 79 amid search for survivors

At least 79 people died in huge wildfires around Athens, Greek authorities said today, as rescuers scoured scorched homes and burned-out cars for survivors of one of the world's deadliest fire outbreaks.

Scores of locals and holidaymakers fled to the sea to try to escape the flames as they tore through towns and villages near the capital stoked by 100-km-per-hour wind gusts, devouring woodland and hundreds of buildings.

Greek media have described the disaster as a "national tragedy", while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning.

Spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said authorities knew of "79 dead", surpassing the 77 people killed in the previous deadliest fires in Greece, on the southern island of Evia in 2007.

"We've received numerous calls reporting people missing," Maliri said.

The public ERT television station reported that an elderly man hurt in the fires had also died today, though there was no immediate official confirmation.

A fire service official said that searches to find those missing in the fires would continue today, although there was still no official word on the number of people unaccounted for.

When the fires broke out on Monday evening, terrified residents and tourists were overtaken by the flames in homes, on foot or in their cars. AFP photographers saw the burnt bodies of people and dogs.

"My husband said we had to leave with our seven-year-old grandson," Kiriaki Alexiadou, a resident of the devastated village of Mati, told AFP.

"We ran to the car as the pine cones were burning on the trees." Choking back the tears today, she pointed to the charred skeleton of a house next to hers.

"The policewoman who lived there, her husband and their two children left on foot towards the sea but they were trapped by this wall of flame."