Raging wildfires sweeping through Greek resort towns have killed at least 60 people while sending residents and tourists fleeing the smoke-choked towns to the coastline.
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The death toll climbed Tuesday after authorities said they found the charred bodies of 26 people believed to be family members huddled together near a beach, the Associated Press reported.
“They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn’t make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced,” Nikos Economopoulos, the head of Greece’s Red Cross, told Skai TV.
WATCH: Athens choked by smoke from deadly wildfires
Reuters reported Greek coastguard vessels and other boats rescued almost 700 people who had managed to get to the shoreline and pulled another 19 survivors and six dead bodies from the sea, the coastguard said.
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Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared three days of mourning over the “unspeakable tragedy.”
WATCH: Deadly Greek wildfires destroy neighbourhoods as national period of mourning declared
“Today Greece is mourning, and in memory of those who were lost, we are declaring a three-day period of mourning,” Tsipras said. “But we mustn’t let mourning overwhelm us, because these hours are hours of battle, unity, courage and above all solidarity.”
Photos show the charred remains of family members huddled together on a beach, while roads were clogged with burnout vehicles.
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Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
People watch a wildfire in the town of Rafina, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Valerie Gache/AFP/Getty Images
This photo taken on July 24, 2018 show cars burnt following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, on July 24, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
People watch a wildfire in the town of Rafina, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
Cars are blocked at the closed National Road during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Valerie Gache/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Valerie Gache/AFP/Getty Images
A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
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A picture taken on July 23, 2018 shows the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis hill in Athens as smoke billows in background during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
A man walks his dog past a man holding a hose as smoke billows in background during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
A firetruck are seen amid smoke as a wildfire burns in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
A woman reacts as she tries to find her dog, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece July 24, 2018.
Reuters/Costas Baltas
A man looks at the flames as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece, July 23, 2018.
Reuters/Costas Baltas
Firefighters, soldiers and local residents carry a hose as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, Greece, July 23, 2018.
Reuters/Costas Baltas
Smoke from a wildfire burning outside Athens is seen over the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, July 23, 2018.
Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
A local walks on a burnt slope following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece, July 24, 2018.
Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
A local stands next to burnt cars following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece, July 24, 2018.
Reuters/Costas Baltas
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