Tens of thousands of people have been taken to safety

Greek firefighters are facing another day battling wildfires still threatening areas north of Athens.

Thousands of residents of the capital's northern suburbs were forced to leave their homes as dozens of houses and large areas of forest were burnt.

But a Greek government spokesman said the immediate danger had passed and a BBC correspondent said many of the fires had now been put out.

Aircraft from several countries are dropping water on the fires.

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in the area says planes are flying over constantly as they battle the remaining fires, and winds are not as powerful as they were on previous days.

But the scenery around the capital has been damaged and in places resembles a moonscape, our correspondent adds.

To the north, the town of Marathon, with important archaeological sites, was encircled by fires but appears to have been spared.

Reports say nuns had to be evacuated from an Orthodox monastery near the town of Nea Makri, north-east of Athens, as firemen fought to save the compound from encroaching fires.

More than 90 fires are thought to have started since Saturday and more than 37,000 acres of land have been burnt.

While no casualties have been reported, a regional Athens governor, Yiannis Sgouros, has called the fires an "ecological disaster".