ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Fires in southern Greece that have razed dozens of villages and killed at least 44 people may have been deliberately set ahead of next month's national elections, the prime minister suggested Saturday.
A fire burns in the Mesohoria area on Evia Island, northeast of Athens. more photos »
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis declared a nationwide state of emergency Saturday night. He also turned to European Union allies, which have promised help.
Emergency crews pulled charred bodies from homes and local media reported death tolls of up to 50 people.
Scores are hospitalized with severe burns and respiratory problems, state-run television reported.
Although the fires were concentrated in the southern Peloponnese region, heavy smoke billowing Saturday afternoon above Mount Hymettus, southeast of Athens, signaled a new fire. It was burning close to Athens International Airport, forcing officials to close a highway.
In a nationally televised address, Karamanlis suggested the blazes might have been set by political extremists, disrupting political campaigning.
"So many fires sparked simultaneously in so many places is no coincidence," Karamanlis said, and vowed to punish those responsible.
Many firefighters told CNN they are suspicious of the fire's source, given several witness reports that the blazes cropped up simultaneously along a 20-kilometer (12-mile) front of lush greenery in southern Greece.
The prime minister described the situation as a "battle that has to be won," and ordered all resources mobilized to fight the fires.
He also announced that a fund has been set up for fire victims and their families, and an assessment of the disaster will be made.
The most devastated area stretches for 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the western towns of the Zaharo, within the highlands of the western Peloponnese, to the southern tip of the peninsula, Mani.
In the past 24 hours, hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, and planes loaded with water have been battling the infernos on a dozen fronts, authorities said. Yet, despite their efforts, officials said the flames had not been tamed.
"Our emergency services are overstretched and it is humanly impossible to battle this force of nature," a top fire official told CNN.
An EU statement said 30 member countries had offered assistance. France on Saturday was slated to send two planes to help quell the fires, and Norway and Germany pledged to send aircraft as well.
A sweltering heat wave in Greece has parched forests and scrubland. With intense winds fanning the flames, authorities call this the country's worst fire season on record.
Since June, more than 3,000 fires have razed thousands of hectares of forests and scrubland across the country -- nearly triple last year's total -- according to officials.
I-Report: Greek fires
Do you have photos or video footage of the forest fires sweeping Greece? Are you a holidaymaker affected by the blazes? Please get in touch.
Do you have photos or video footage of the forest fires sweeping Greece? Are you a holidaymaker affected by the blazes? Please get in touch.
A mother, her child and at least seven other people died fleeing burning woods in the mountainous villages in western Peloponnese, near the town of Zaharo, according to a fire department official.
Farther south, six people -- including two French tourists found by rescue crews in an embrace -- were killed in a forest fire that swept near their hotel in the town of Areopolis, located 190 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Athens.
Greece's elections are set for September 16. The ruling party has called for a temporary suspension of political campaigning as a sign of respect to those who died in the flames, and flags on government buildings were flying Saturday at half staff. E-mail to a friend
Journalist Anthee Carassava contributed to this report
All About Greece
Imagen satelital de Grecia marcando la localización de los incendios.


El gobierno griego ha declarado el estado de emergencia por unos 80 incendios forestales que se presentan a lo largo del Peloponeso, los cuales han cobrado la vida de al menos 41 personas, 9 de los cuales eran niños.

Las altas temperaturas y los fuertes vientos han favorecido el rápido aumento de las llamas. Algunas de las víctimas quedaron atrapadas en sus vehículos mientras huían de la población de Artemida, cerca de Zacharo. Otras tantas se encontraron en las zonas turísticas de Magna y Laconia.

Archivo:Picture156.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Fuego en Keratea visto desde Markopoulo Mesogaias.

El Primer Ministro Kostas Karamanlis ha dicho que este "es un día de duelo, de tragedia nacional", tras informar la gravedad de la situación por la cual solicitó la ayuda de la Unión Europea.

De acuerdo a una declaración de la UE, 30 países han ofrecido ayuda a Grecia.

Francia ha enviado dos aviones, los cuales se unen a una brigada conformada por unos 19 aviones, 18 helicópteros y unos 420 soldados del ejército que luchan contra las llamas en la región.

Alemania y Noruega prometieron enviar aviones con ayuda también.

Un bosque se incendia en Grecia

Los medios locales han criticado la lenta reacción de las autoridades para atender la emergencia, aunque los candidatos para las elecciones del próximo 16 de septiembre se han abstenido de dar declaraciones al respecto y decidieron suspender las campañas políticas que se están adelantando.

Desde junio, más de 3.000 incendios han causado estragos en miles de hectáreas de bosques del país – más de tres veces que el año pasado.

Aunque las elecciones presidenciales de Grecia serán el 16 de septiembre, se ha suspendido toda campaña política en respeto a las víctimas mientras que las banderas del gobierno estuvieron izadas a media asta el sábado.