18 migrants die burned by flames in a forest near the Greek city of Alexandroupolis

At least 18 migrants have died burned by the flames in the Dadia forest, near the Greek port city of Alexandroupolis, located in the Evros region, in the framework of what is already considered one of the worst waves of fires in Greece this summer.

The spokesman for the Greek Fire Department, Giannis Artopioros, explained that the death toll from the flames amounts to 18 people. The bodies have been rescued from the Avas area and among the victims there are at least two children, according to the newspaper 'Kathimerini'.

Artopioros has also specified that the bodies were found in a group and that, since there is no information on the disappeared, they work with the hypothesis that they are people who entered the country illegally.

The Migration Minister, Dimitris Keridis, has regretted the discovery of the 18 bodies, also stressing that despite the "constant and persistent efforts" of the authorities to stop the migratory flow, the "tragedy" confirms the risks of this type of "irregular" movements.

To these 18 corpses would be added another eight bodies of migrants burned in Lefkimmi, in an area near the Dadia forest, according to the Skai television channel, although the Greek authorities have not yet confirmed this figure.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have "deeply regretted" in a joint statement the deaths of migrants and have expressed their solidarity with the Greek authorities and people, the who has offered help in responding to the emergency.

According to a report from the National Observatory of Athens, more than 40,000 hectares have burned in three days in the country. In addition to the fires in Alexandroupolis, there are concerns about the outbreaks in the Rhodope prefecture, in Aspropyrgos, in Western Attica, as well as those in the Boeotia region.

The alert extends to the outskirts of Athens, where on Tuesday the evacuation of the inhabitants of two towns in the Ano Liosia area was ordered.