At least 26 of the 87 killed in Europe’s deadliest wildfire in decades died just yards from survivors who made it to the sea.
Parents huddled with their children in an attempt to shield them from the flames in Mati, Greece, as they perished 30 steps from a gate that led others to safety.
Christiana Fragou had urged scores of people into her garden after seeing they were trapped in the streets with the hope of helping them escape to the water.
This graphic shows just how close the victims came to safety before dying as flames engulfed the plot
After more than 30 people burst in, Mrs Fragou and her family made it down to the beach.
But she is haunted by the screams she heard coming from those who didn’t get out of her garden as she watched fire engulf the four-acre plot, The Times reports.
Fire raged in Greece as some perished just yards from safety while others made it down to the sea
The sight of charred remains huddled together has traumatised Red Cross volunteers, some of whom collapsed when they saw them
Members of a rescue team carry an injured woman in Mati, east of Athens, following the deadly wildfire
Neighbour Kimon Potamianos was one of the last to make it down the cliff and said: ‘I heard them all crying. I had to cover my ears because I couldn’t bear the sound of their suffering.’
On Tuesday morning, Red Cross volunteers found bodies scorched by temperatures that climbed higher than 1,600C.
Vassilis Adropoulos said members of his team ‘collapsed at the gruesome sight’ in what he said was one of the most tragic moments of his life.
Greece has been devastated by the fire, which drove a 13-year-old girl to jump to her death
This aerial shot shows the devastation in Mati, as the aftermath of the wildfire shows incinerated homes and land
Barely 30 steps from the gate that led others to safety, their remains sat clinging to one another amid the devastation.
National cycling champion Evita Fytrou, 13, jumped off a cliff and to her death during the inferno.
Her father, Grigoris, and 10-year-old brother, Andreas, were in the garden. Their charred remains were found near the gate.
But her mother, Varvara, had left Mati for work when the fire struck. Although she was safe, she described on social media the harrowing final phone call with her son.
Some escaped to the sea, but just yards away people perished in a garden after they became trapped
‘I can see my daughter’s face,’ she said. ‘I can still hear my son’s trembling voice in our last conversation. He told me, “Mum, I’m scared. But don’t you worry. I will be strong”.
‘I tried to reach them. I did my best… but I didn’t manage to get there in time. I have lost everything.’
Mrs Fragou’s son, Iason, says his mother is ‘traumatised for life’ as police continue to investigate the garden, where melted shoes and mobile phones sit next to dog carcasses.
Last night volunteers found more human remains. The tiny size of some remains mean they have to return to areas in which they have already searched to find missing people.
The main highway was blocked as people tried to escape in cars, with side roads quickly becoming jammed.
Most of those either died in their cars or perished trying to escape to the beach on foot when it was too late.
Two nine-year-old twin girls are thought to have died in that part of town despite initial reports that fishermen had rescued them. They where holidaying with their grandparents, whose car was discovered near the Frangous’ compound.
Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas says that evidence points to arson, but government opponents have accused the regime of blaming criminality to deflect from their culpability for the tragedy.
It comes after experts said great vulnerabilities such as chaotic town planning should have been foreseen. They have also pointed to flaws in civil protection.
Mati’s homes often lack formal permission and have inadequate evacuation routes. Pine trees flank the properties and served to fuel the fire as 50mph winds blew their burning trunks to spread the blaze further.