Fire toll mounts in Greece as blazes spread

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece had faced "extreme weather conditions and winds" that often reached 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour."When the winds blow with such force, even the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely," he wrote on Facebook."There are moments when nature and the intensity of weather phenomena surpass any human planning and any operational capability."Nearly 500 firefighters were battling blazes around the popular coastal village of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of Athens, the fire department said.They were attempting to keep the fire from approaching the western outskirts of Athens after it scaled a mountain overnight.Some 100 firefighters were fighting another blaze in Aigialia in the northern Peloponnese.A new fire broke out late Saturday on the Ionian Sea island of Cephalonia.The National Observatory's climate tracker meteo.gr said early estimates indicated that over 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) had been burned in separate fires on the Gulf of Corinth which also swept Porto Germeno.Porto Germeno and other villages were evacuated when the fire broke out on Friday but local authorities say scores...