TWO honeymoon couples in Greece have told how they feared they would die in the massive forest fires sweeping through Halkidiki.

Newlyweds Karim and Kim Safer said they were forced to run for their lives as flames raced through their holiday resort.

The couple and their 23-month-old daughter Lily (pictured inset, above) spent five hours fleeing from a large forest fire and became trapped on a beach with hundreds of other tourists.

They were evacuated to safety by a fleet of boats in a Dunkirk-style rescue operation.

The Tottington family had flown to Greece last week for a two week holiday.

And newlyweds, Barry and Tina Hoyle told in a phone call how they were ordered to put wet towels over their heads and mouths and race into the sea for safety as flames, fanned by strong winds, engulfed forestry land around their hotel in Hanioti on Monday.

Tina, who is an advertising executive at the Bury Times, spoke briefly to her sister Annette and said she and her husband had to wade out into the sea, and wait to be rescued by a fleet of boats.

She had earlier texted: "I thought I was going to die."

The couple, who live in Bolton, married on August 5 and flew to Greece on August 17.

Annette said: "Tina initially got in touch to tell my mum not to panic and they were fine, because she knew we would be worried as she had seen it was on Sky News.

"I only spoke to her for a few minutes but she said that they had been sunbathing around the pool at their hotel and had seen the fires in the distance, but were not worried at first.

"Within a couple of hours, though, the winds had picked up and the flames were coming towards them. Then they were told to get just their passports and their money and to run.

"Tina said that it was chaos and as they ran to the beach there was a lot of smoke and hot ash. They had to wrap wet towels around their heads to protect them.

"They were told to stand waist deep in the sea to get away from the flames. When I asked her how close the fire was, she said it was just at the end of the beach.

"Some friends they talked to from Blackpool said that they had been in a bar as other bars around them caught fire."

Annette added: "Tina and Barry decided to go to Halkidiki for their honeymoon because they have visited before and had made friends with a hotel owner. They really like the place. It is a real shame."

The local holidaymakers are among 1,000 Britons who have had to evacuate their hotels and villas as a result of the blaze which has destroyed thousands of acres of land on Halkidiki's Kassandra peninsula.

Karim's mum, Pauline Wynne of Rhiwlas Drive, Bury, only learned of their dramatic escape when she received a mobile phone text message.

She said: "Karim, Kim and Lily are okay but I was terrified for them.

"Karim's text said they had run for four or five hours away from the flames to safety. There was smoke everywhere.

"The fire had missed their hotel by 100 metres.

"They made it to the beach along with other holidaymakers and locals and were eventually evacuated by small boats and picked up by an Egyptian trawler. They were taken to Pefkahori.

The fire broke out amid a heatwave across south east Europe, with temperatures in some areas reaching 42C (107.6F).

Ten water-bombing planes and helicopters began assisting the effort as more than 250 firefighters and soldiers battled the fire that swept over rugged terrain. Firefighters are still damping down woodland and trying to stop the blaze spreading.

A German tourist drowned as he swam out to sea and hundreds of people have been injured.

The area, around the resorts of Polychrono and Hanioti, has been declared a disaster zone and local officials said there were possible indications of arson.