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Death and destruction in the wake of Greece wildfires

Firefighters find the bodies of 18 people believed to be asylum seekers in a burned area of forest near the Turkish border, causing this week’s death toll to climb to 20.

Greece Wildfires
A car was burned in the village of Palagia near the city of Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece's Evros region. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Published On 22 Aug 202322 Aug 2023
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Eighteen burned bodies have been found in northeastern Greece as hundreds of firefighters struggle to control major wildfires burning out of control there for days, fanned by strong winds.

The bodies are believed to be of refugees or migrants. They were found in a forest near the Turkish border that is an entry point for people seeking to enter the European Union, fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios said in a televised address on Tuesday.

Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across Greece with the most severe entering its fourth day and encroaching on the northeastern port city of Alexandroupolis.

This week’s death toll now stands at 20 after two people died and two firefighters were injured on Monday in separate fires in northern and central Greece.

The fire risk level for several regions, including the wider Athens area, was listed as extreme for a second day on Tuesday.

In northeastern Greece, a massive wall of flames raced through forests towards Alexandroupolis overnight, prompting authorities to evacuate eight villages and the city’s hospital.

The flames turned the sky over the city and across the region red, hiding the sun as choking smoke and swirling flecks of ash filled the air.

Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer. Its deadliest killed 104 people in 2018 at a seaside resort near Athens.

Greece Wildfires
Evangelia and Giorgos Kousminas inspect the remains of their burned house in the village of Sostis near Komotini town in the northeastern Rodopi region. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
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Greece Wildfires
Flames engulf a forest during a wildfire in Avantas village near Alexandroupolis. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
A woman sits next to a patient on a ferry after health authorities partially evacuated a hospital in the eastern port city of Alexandroupolis. [AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
A razed home stands in the village of Sostis. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
Fire burns an olive tree in the village of Sostis. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
Smoke rises from a mountain in the village of Polyanthos near Komotini town. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
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Greece Wildfires
A wildfire near Alexandroupolis burned so hot that little is left in the interior of this burned-out car in Palagia. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
This house is only one that was burned in Sostis. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
People try to extinguish a burning olive tree in the village of Avantas. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
Destroyed warehouses are seen from above in the village of Palagia. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]
Greece Wildfires
Wildfires are burning near Alexandroupolis, and their smoke is blotting out the sun. [Achilleas Chiras/AP Photo]


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