A helicopter drops water on a fire at Mount Taygete in the Peloponnese in southern Greece, 24 Aug. 2007. Forty-one people were killed and an undetermined number of people missing in fire-ravaged Peloponnese, southern Greece. ( Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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A car is burned on a road in southern Peloponnese peninsula, Greece, Aug. 24, 2007. Forty-one people were killed and an undetermined number of people missing in fire-ravaged Peloponnese, southern Greece. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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    ATHENS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Forty-one people were killed and an undetermined number of people missing in fire-ravaged Peloponnese, southern Greece, authorities reported Saturday.

    The fires, which broke out on the southern Peloponnese peninsula on Friday, have spread to new fronts, fanned by gale-force winds and heat.

    The Zacharo town in the western Peloponnese was worst hit as 31 deaths were reported from this area alone. Most villages were evacuated while numerous residents in the town remained trapped there, the authorities said.

    In one tragic incident, a traffic accident among fleeing motorists near the village of Artemida trapped dozens of people on a roadway that was quickly surrounded by flames, resulting in the death of at least 13 people.

    Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Lakonia, Messinia and Ilia.

    "Since yesterday we have been experiencing a national tragedy. I would like to express my deep-felt grief for the lost lives and my sincere condolences to the families mourning their loved ones," Karamanlis said in a televised speech.

    The state was mobilizing all its forces to extinguish the fires, he added. Reinforcements were sent from northern Greece to aid with the fire-fighting efforts.

    "This hour demands responsibility and sacrifice. This is an hour of battle. Once again, I would like to stress that all Greeks support and trust the people fighting to end this nightmare," the primer minister said.