The burned remains of 18 alleged migrants were discovered in a remote rural area of northern Greece where wildfires have been raging for several days.
Firefighters are frantically attempting to put out the flames with water, but the fire is raging throughout the northeastern Greek region of Evros, not far from Athens.
The wildfires have claimed the lives of 20 people and destroyed dozens of homes since they were sparked four days ago by a dangerous combination of 41C heat and gale-force winds.
Authorities in the Avanta neighborhood, north of Alexandroupoli, said they think they have discovered the burned bodies of 18 migrants close to a shack.
The possibility that these are people who entered the country illegally is being investigated, according to fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios, since there haven’t been any reports of disappearances or missing locals from the neighborhood.
The region’s suspected migrants, according to officials, is thought to have entered through Turkey, a popular route taken by people trying to enter Greece illegally.
The country’s northeast is home to the wildfires, which are still burning untamed on the islands of Evia and Kynthos, in the region of Boeotia to the north of Athens, and close to the port city of Alexandroupolis.
There are nine fronts that are currently active. A spokeswoman for the fire department compared the current predicament to July’s spate of wildfires, which claimed five lives.
After a second suspected immigrant was discovered dead nearby on Monday, the number of fatalities from the fires this week increased to 20 with the most recent deaths of 18 suspected migrants.
On Monday, the body of an elderly shepherd was also discovered near Athens.
65 patients were transported to a ferry in the city’s port early this morning in Alexandroupolis, where flames have dangerously close to the University hospital.
An additional 14 people were taken away by a coast guard boat from a beach close to the village of Makri.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of several communities in the larger Evros region, which is close to the Turkish border, because they fear there will likely be more fires in the days to come.
According to Ioannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the fire brigade, “under extreme weather conditions, primarily due to gale-force winds, a huge effort has been made to manage fire fronts that broke out simultaneously in many parts of the country.”.
“These are very important hours that we are passing through. ‘.
According to the fire department, over 60 fires had broken out in the previous 24 hours, and six nations were sending aid through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism.
According to the fire department’s spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, 120 firefighters from Germany, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania, Cyprus, and the United States will assist.
In the meantime, the European Union declared that two firefighting aircraft based in Cyprus and a Romanian firefighting team were being sent via the bloc’s civil protection mechanism.
In the industrial district of Aspropyrgos near Athens, a new fire started on Tuesday at a landfill, blanketing the area in a poisonous black cloud.
The closest section of the Athens ring road was closed by authorities, who also gave residents the go-ahead to stay inside.
Near the capitals, in the foothills of Mount Parnitha, another fire started, forcing evacuations
