18 Suspected Migrants Found Dead in Greek Wildfire
Eighteen bodies were found today in a forest in the northeastern Evros region of Greece, where wildfires have been raging for days. According to fire department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios, the suspected status of the victims as illegal migrants is being investigated.
The bodies were found in Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park just north of the city of Alexandroupolis, where fires have reportedly spread rapidly since Monday. The city’s university hospital was evacuated yesterday, with 65 patients being transferred to a ferry in the port, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.
The Evros region shares a border with Turkey and is a popular point of passage for Syrian and other Asian migrants seeking to reach Europe.
On Monday, another body of a possible undocumented migrant was found in the Dadia forest. Evacuation orders were issued via text message for the villages surrounding Alexandroupolis.
In addition to Evros, fires have exploded across the northern Greek regions of Komotini, Kavala, and Orestiada, the central area of Viota, and the island of Evia due to hot and dry weather conditions.
