NEW DELHI: A tragic incident unfolded in a Greek forest near the Turkish border on Tuesday, as the remains of 20 suspected migrants were discovered. This occurred amidst a strenuous effort by firefighters to control the second deadly wave of wildfires to hit the country within a month.
The spokesperson for the fire department, Yiannis Artopios, shared that these victims were located north of the city of Alexandroupoli. Artopios, in a televised statement, mentioned that since no local residents had been reported missing, there’s an ongoing investigation into the possibility that these individuals might have entered the country illegally.
The area in question frequently serves as an entry point for irregular migrants. The wildfires persisted uncontrollably in various parts of Greece, including northeastern regions, Evia and Kythnos islands, and the Boeotia region north of Athens. The situation is intensified by powerful gale-force winds and scorching temperatures reaching up to 41 degrees Celsius.
A fire department spokesperson stated that this scenario mirrors the one experienced in July, when multiple areas of the country were ravaged by fires that claimed the lives of five individuals. Within the past 24 hours, over 60 fires had erupted, prompting the involvement of six countries through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, as confirmed by the fire department.
Approximately 120 firefighters from Cyprus, Romania, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, and Serbia will join the efforts, according to Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the fire department.
Meteorologists warned that the exceedingly hot and dry conditions heightening the risk of fires would persist until Friday. Amid a heatwave, a fire that started on July 18, fueled by strong winds, had devastated an area of nearly 17,770 hectares (over 43,000 acres) over the course of ten days on Rhodes, a popular tourist island in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Approximately 20,000 individuals, primarily tourists, were compelled to evacuate due to this incident.
The spokesperson for the fire department, Yiannis Artopios, shared that these victims were located north of the city of Alexandroupoli. Artopios, in a televised statement, mentioned that since no local residents had been reported missing, there’s an ongoing investigation into the possibility that these individuals might have entered the country illegally.
The area in question frequently serves as an entry point for irregular migrants. The wildfires persisted uncontrollably in various parts of Greece, including northeastern regions, Evia and Kythnos islands, and the Boeotia region north of Athens. The situation is intensified by powerful gale-force winds and scorching temperatures reaching up to 41 degrees Celsius.
A fire department spokesperson stated that this scenario mirrors the one experienced in July, when multiple areas of the country were ravaged by fires that claimed the lives of five individuals. Within the past 24 hours, over 60 fires had erupted, prompting the involvement of six countries through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, as confirmed by the fire department.
Approximately 120 firefighters from Cyprus, Romania, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, and Serbia will join the efforts, according to Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the fire department.
Meteorologists warned that the exceedingly hot and dry conditions heightening the risk of fires would persist until Friday. Amid a heatwave, a fire that started on July 18, fueled by strong winds, had devastated an area of nearly 17,770 hectares (over 43,000 acres) over the course of ten days on Rhodes, a popular tourist island in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Approximately 20,000 individuals, primarily tourists, were compelled to evacuate due to this incident.
