Dramatic footage obtained by the Associated Press showed people seeking safety from the flames and choking smoke in the sea off the coastal community of Mati, following Greece's lethal wildfire.

The video which was filmed on Monday, by eyewitness Elia Kallia, showed several families, entering and huddling together in the water to protect themselves from the fast-moving flames.

Some escapees, including children, held on to the only possessions they could retrieve from their homes.

Kallia who has lost her house and car in the deadly wildfires told the Associated Press that she informed her neighbours of the fast-approaching flames.