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The death toll climbed to 51 after two more charred bodies were found near the town of Megalopoli in central Peloponnese. Most of the victims of the fire since Friday have been found in the region of Zacharo, to the west of the peninsula, and include seven children, according to police.

"The situation is still very critical," a spokesman for the firefighters at the front of the battle against the violent blazes told AFP.

In all some 40 villages have been evacuated in the Peloponnese and on Euboea, the second-largest Greek island, the spokesman said, adding that "we are ready to organise new evacuations at any time".

Greece was forced to declare a state of emergency on Saturday as the country began three days of national mourning.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in a message to the nation on Saturday that action was taken "to mobilise all means and all forces" to put out the worst fires in a decade and help those affected.

He pointed the finger at arsonists for starting the fires in areas hit hard by summer droughts and multiple heat waves, and said his government would "do everything in its power to find and punish those responsible".

Firefighters said that 22 fires had started after nightfall on Friday, which Karamanlis said 'could not have been a coincidence". Four people were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of deliberately starting the blazes.

More than 1,000 firefighters backed by 425 soldiers and 16 water-dropping aircraft are waging the battle against the fires, which have swept through thousands of acres destroying homes and ravaging crops and olive groves. No official figures were yet available.

Two fires also threaten the region of Kalamata, where the flames were approaching villages near the Mount Olympus archaeological site.

Firefighters however were hopeful on Sunday of getting some control now that the strong winds which had fanned the flames have subsided somewhat, and aircraft support has arrived from other European countries, officials said.

Four Canadair water-bombers and some 60 French firefighters were expected to join the operation on Sunday as well as an Italian aircraft.

Fire-fighting aircraft and some vehicles have been offered by Spain, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Israel, Romania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Serbia and Cyprus.

Greece's political opposition has refrained from criticising the effectiveness of the government in dealing with the crisis - even as the country is scheduled to hold legislative elections on September 16.

Story/photo Agence France-Presse

Vocabulary

peninsula, n: land that is almost an island but is still connected to the mainland

inferno, n: very strong and large fire

critical, adj: serious, dangerous

death toll, n: number of people who have died

to evacuate, v: to move someone out of a dangerous area to a safe place

mourning, n: thinking with sadness about people who have died

arsonist, n: person who starts fires in order to destroy property

drought, n: period when it is very dry and no rain falls

coincidence, n: two or more events happen for unconnected reasons and for unconnected aims, but come together to affect each other

to refrain, v: to stop yourself from doing something

Questions

1. When did the fires start?

a. Friday

b. Sunday

c. Monday

d. Wednesday

2. How did the fires start?

a. arson

b. eclipse

c. lightning

d. meteorites

3. How many children have died?

a. 3

b. 7

c. 22

d. 51

4. What made it difficult to fight the fires?

a. tidal pull

b. heavy rain

c. solar flares

d. strong winds

5. Which of the following countries did not offer help?

a. Cyprus

b. Sweden

c. Portugal

d. Romania

Synonyms

Which of the following words or phrases replace the ones from the passage best?

1. unabated

a. varyingly

b. weakened

c. persistently

d. occasionally

2. charred

a. live

b. burnt

c. injured

d. unharmed

3. blaze

a. fire

b. wind

c. work

d. storm

4. deliberately

a. rashly

b. accidentally

c. intentionally

d. unexpectedly

5. ravage

a. ruin

b. heal

c. save

d. grow

Answers

Questions   1. a, 2. a , 3. b, 4. d, 5. c

Synonyms    1.c, 2. b, 3. a, 4. c, 5. a

 By Ajarn Horst Baelz