Greek authorities said on Sunday that 53 people died and hundreds were evacuated after the savage wildfires sweeping the Peloponnese peninsula broke out of control in several regions.

Flames threatened to destroy dozens of villages in the western area of the peninsula, authorities evacuating the settlements. Hundreds of people were stranded on a small coastal area and the Greek emergency teams tried to evacuate them by sea, but couldn’t reach the people due to the shallow water.

Reports from the region informed that new fires broke out near the capital of the Messenia prefecture, Kalamata and in the vicinity of the ancient city of Sparta, located in the south-eastern region.

The famous city of Corinth is also threatened by the blaze, while the second largest Greek island Euboea is also a battle field for firefighters and volunteers trying to contain the fierce flames engulfing hectares of vegetation and houses.

Dozens of people remain isolated in small villages, about 190 burning points being located across the country. According to the authorities, hundreds of buildings and more than 70,000 hectares of land have been ravaged by uncontrollable wildfires despite efforts made by soldiers, firemen and locals.

Three days of national mourning and a state of emergency were declared by the country’s Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis on Saturday. The premier also said seven persons believed to have started fires were arrested and others will follow after the fire department said a fire in Athens was deliberately started.

Meanwhile, fire-fighting planes and helicopters began arriving in Greece from all over Europe after the Greek government asked the European Union to send aid. Four planes and 60 firemen arrived from France, while Italy also sent two planes to assist the operations.

Further aid is expected to arrive on Monday from Serbia and Spain, who pledged to dispatch four respectively two planes. Helicopters used in firefighting were also due to arrive in the affected regions from Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, Romania, Norway and Slovenia.