Greek fire brigade says death toll in wildfires rises to 79

People are seen as a wildfire burns in Mati

At least 79 people have been killed in wildfires burning close to Athens since Monday, a Greek fire brigade official said on Wednesday.

At least 187 people, including 23 children, have been injured. The number of missing persons was still unclear.

The number outpaces the death toll of 2007, one of the worst on record, where about 70 individuals died from fires in the southern Peloponnese region.