More than 30 forest fires raged out of control across southern Greece for a third day yesterday, forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages and threatening ancient Olympia, site of the first Olympic Games.

The death toll reached 58 and was expected to rise as firefighters reached isolated mountain settlements in the western Peloponnese, the hardest-hit region. Most victims died trying to protect their homes or were trapped in cars as they fled from the blaze, police said.