Greek authorities pledge full support to fire-stricken areas, as country mourns 74 casualties

The Mayor of Marathon city Ilias Psinakis has expressed fears, speaking to local Alpha TV, that the final death toll may surpass 100. He talked about some 40 people still missing.

Most of the victims were found at the seaside settlements of Mati and Neos Voutzas, some 30 km east of Athens. In many cases the charred bodies of family members were found hugged together a few meters away from the sea.

Survivors described an inferno horror with hundreds of people finding themselves engulfed by flames within a few minutes as strong winds of up to 10 on the Beaufort scale helped quickly spread the blaze which had started on Penteli Mountain on Monday afternoon.

People rushed to the shores, as narrow streets were blocked by abandoned cars and blazing fallen trees.

Several drowned after many tried to escape by swimming in panic. More than 715 were transferred to safety to the nearby port of Rafina by dozens of Greek Coast Guard vessels and private boats, authorities said.

Some 1,000 houses and 300 cars were destroyed, according to initial estimates.

"It is an image of biblical disaster, as you can see here," Roula T., a resident of Mati told Xinhua on Tuesday, pointing around the blackened neighborhood.

"My brother's apartment on the upper floor which was damaged was his primary residence. Now we will try to collect our pieces and rebuild everything. What can we do? The most important thing is that lives were lost and all this is gone. Can you see what has happened here? Can you? This was a lung," she said pointing to the pine forest which was burned down.

Roula and other residents who survived the nightmare were narrating heartbreaking stories of family tragedies next door. Mary, an elderly lady chose to stay with her bedridden husband inside their home at Mati. They died together. Others talked about people perishing in the sea next to them.