ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek wildfire raging east of Athens has killed more than 20 persons and injured more than 100 including 16 children, a Greek government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Greek firemen have been battling several blazes close to Athens for more than 12 hours. The biggest number of injured and dead was recorded in the area of Mati.

“There unfortunately we had the biggest number of injured but also of dead persons, people who did not manage to leave and were trapped in their homes or cars,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said in a televised statement.