Greek fires rage after migrant tragedy near border

Fires that person claimed 20 lives successful Greece are inactive burning retired of power successful foothills adjacent Athens and the Evros portion adjacent the borderline with Turkey.

Eighteen of those killed are thought to beryllium refugees and migrants who crossed the borderline recently, hiding successful forests northbound of the metropolis of Alexandroupolis.

Greece has expressed its deepest sorrow for the deaths successful the Dadia wood adjacent to the Turkish border.

For 5 days, fires person burned adjacent the metropolis and westbound on the coast.

Firefighters are besides trying to halt a occurrence spreading from the slopes of Mount Parnitha, to the north-west of Athens.

Their efforts are being hindered by beardown winds whipping up the flames and searing vigor of up to 40C (104F).

The 18 bodies were recovered connected Tuesday by the occurrence work adjacent a shack extracurricular the colony of Avantas, to the northbound of Alexandroupolis.

"Unfortunately, their enactment successful the Dadia wood proved fatal," said authorities spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, pointing retired that the alarm had been raised successful the country wherever they were recovered and evacuation messages had been sent connected the mobile 112 exigency service.

Migrants and refugees trying to scope the European Union look galore perils - being beaten, robbed, arrested, forced backmost crossed a border, oregon drowning successful the Mediterranean. Now the risks besides see a ringing of occurrence successful bluish Greece.

Fire work spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said determination had been nary reports of missing residents and it is wide assumed those who died had precocious crossed Greece's long, snaking borderline with Turkey on the River Evros.

For galore who are hopeless to scope EU soil, the stream is their gateway and the immense wood connected the different broadside provides cover.

All the dormant were male, and 2 were minors according to section coroner Pavlos Pavlidis, who said the bodies were recovered wrong a 500m (1,640ft) radius, immoderate adjacent a sheep pen.

Their bodies person been taken to Alexandroupolis for station mortem examination. But identifying them volition beryllium hard and authorities volition request relatives to travel forward.

One Syrian antheral has told the BBC helium fears his 27-year-old relative died successful the blaze arsenic helium has been incapable to scope him for 4 days. The relative was among a radical of Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis hoping to travel a well-worn way done the forest.

The Syrian said they would not person called Greek authorities for help, contempt the evacuation order, for fearfulness of being sent backmost crossed the borderline to Turkey.

Greek constabulary accidental passim August arsenic galore arsenic 900 radical a time person tried to sneak crossed the border, and hundreds of traffickers person been arrested. People smuggling is large business, involving transgression networks.

Overnight astatine the Ipsala borderline crossing betwixt Turkey and Greece, a radical of young men tried to ascent connected to a lorry waiting to participate Greece.

One managed to conceal himself by lying level connected the top. The others melted distant into the acheronian erstwhile they were spotted.

Many residents successful the villages astir Alexandroupolis are furious, arsenic they judge the fires are caused by migrants who transverse the borderline and fell successful the wood earlier heading inland.

There is nary evidence, though, that this occurrence successful the Dadia wood was caused by migrants.

A video filmed successful the Alexandroupolis country has provoked uproar successful Greece aft it showed a antheral "arresting" refugees and migrants and locking them successful a trailer attached to his car. The antheral walks astir the trailer, accusing migrants and refugees of trying to pain Greeks. He past opens the doorway showing respective frightened young men.

Police said it had arrested the antheral down the video on with 2 radical suspected of helping him. They added that the video had progressive the amerciable detention of "13 amerciable immigrants of Syrian and Pakistani origin".

In a abstracted development, Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adeilini has called for a dual enquiry into the causes of the fires successful the Evros portion and into alleged incidents of racist unit against migrants that person followed the 18 deaths successful the Dadia forest.

As the flames drew person to Alexandroupolis, villages to the westbound and northbound of metropolis were evacuated and dozens of patients from the assemblage infirmary were moved to a ferry berthed astatine the port.

Fires are inactive burning successful the Dadia wood but the biggest beforehand successful the portion is present to the westbound of Alexandroupolis.

The concern connected the outskirts of Athens is proving progressively hard for firefighters and 3 nursing homes person been evacuated from the municipality of Menidi.

Homes person already burned Hasia and Fyli, successful the foothills of Mount Parnitha.

Greek officials person called for the evacuation of thousands of radical from the large territory of Ano Liosia successful the north-west of the capital, though galore person refused to leave.