The head of Greece's Red Cross, Nikos Oikonomopoulos, told Skai television that a Red Cross rescue team found 26 bodies in a compound northeast of Athens, some of them clutching each other in groups of threes and fours. Image: A woman tries to find her dog following the wildfire in Mati

Image: Cars have been destroyed in the village where 26 bodies were found

He told Sky News: "Thankfully the sea was there and we went into the sea because the flames were chasing us all the way to the water. A firestorm that swept through a seaside resort town near the Greek capital killed at least 60 people, including families with children found clasped in a last embrace on a beach as they tried to flee the flames, officials said. In a message of condolence sent to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday, Merkel said that "in these difficult hours Germany stands firmly by the side of our Greek friends." The blaze which hit Mati, 29 km (18 miles) east of the capital, late Monday afternoon looks set to be the country's worst since flames devastated the southern Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens. Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal offered assistance after Greece said it needed air and land assets from European Union partners.
Wildfires in east and west Attica, Greece, kill at least 76 people, leave another 172 injured, and burn hundreds of houses and vehicles, prompting a state of emergency. The Greek government requests help from European Union countries.