Firefighters made a grim discovery on Tuesday as they found the charred remains of 18 individuals who are believed to be migrants. They are thought to have crossed the Turkish border, ending up in Avantas, a region of northeastern Greece that has been engulfed by raging wildfires.
According to Fox News, The unsettling find occurred near the city of Alexandroupolis, where firefighters were engaged in a battle against numerous blazes that have been fanned by strong gale-force winds. The day before, two people lost their lives, and two firefighters were injured in separate fires that broke out in both northern and central Greece.
EU officials are pointing to climate change as the driving force behind the escalating frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe, citing that 2022 saw the second-highest wildfire damage on record.
In response to the discovery in Greece, authorities activated the Disaster Victim Identification Team to assist in identifying the 18 bodies.
"Given that there have been no reports of a missing person or missing residents from the surrounding areas, the possibility is being investigated that these are people who had entered the country illegally," said fire department spokesman Ioannis Artopios.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou conveyed her sorrow at the tragic loss of life, adding, "We must urgently take effective initiatives to ensure that this bleak reality does not become the new normality.”
The area the migrants were found lies close to the Turkish border and is next to a route often taken by people fleeing from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa to the European Union.
Avantas and surrounding communities had previously received evacuation orders, communicated through mobile alerts in both Greek and English.
