Severe gale-force winds sweeping Greece have left at least three people dead and intensified dozens of wildfires from the outskirts of Athens to the western Peloponnese. Firefighters on Friday discovered the body of an elderly man inside a burned-out structure in the town of Keratea, southwest of the capital, after flames driven by gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour engulfed homes and farmland. The same winds disrupted maritime traffic and proved deadly at sea. The coast guard said a Vietnamese woman fell into the water off Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos, and a compatriot who tried to rescue her also drowned. Ferry sailings from Piraeus and other Athens ports were suspended or delayed, stranding thousands of summer travellers at the height of the tourist season. Blazes were also reported near Ancient Olympia and on the island of Kefalonia, devouring olive groves and forestland. Authorities warned that the combination of parched terrain and persistent high winds could keep fire risk at an “extreme” level through the weekend.