Firefighters had found themselves in front of a horrific sight forest of Dadiaas confirmed by the representative of the Fire Department, eighteen people were found dead, charred in the forest of Dadia, near the area of ​​Avanda. The dead estimated to be immigrants as there is no, as Mr. Artopoios said, a declaration of disappearance of people from the area. The dead immigrants were found in two groups, while a disaster victim identification team of the Police rushes to the scene.

In particular, Mr. Artopoios said:

In the fire of Alexandroupolis, in an on-site inspection by Fire Department officials in the wider area of ​​Avanda, the bodies of 18 people were found near a paraparigma.

Given that from the surrounding areas there have been no reports of disappearances or missing persons residents, the possibility that these are people who entered the country illegally is being investigated.

It is recalled that since yesterday, 112 evacuation messages had been sent for the wider area.

It is noted that, messages are also transmitted to mobiles from foreign networks located in the area.

The disaster victim identification team has already been activated by the Greek police headquarters.

The investigations along the entire length of the area where the fire occurred and is ongoing, they continue.

It is noted that the information who reported that another eight dead migrants were found, near the area of ​​Lefkimmi, in the forest of Dadia are not confirmed.

Fiery hell in Alexandroupoli

The big fire is raging in Alexandroupoli which has been burning since Saturday morning.

Not long ago dial 112 for the residents of Mesti, Dikella, Sykorrachis, Plaka, Mesimvria, Atarni, Avra, Komarou and Perama to evacuate to Komotini.

Temporary stoppage of traffic on Egnatia Odos from the height of the Eastern junction of Komotini Rhodopi to the height of the Industrial Area (BI.PE) junction of Alexandroupoli, the traffic police proceeded in both streamsaccording to a statement from the general regional police directorate of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

The interruption is due to the fires raging in the area.

The main fronts of the fire

On the fiery fronts of the settlements of Plaka, the former settlement of Amphithea and on a very large front within the pine forest of Circe which is ongoing and moves either south or west towards Sykorrachis, the uneven battle continues today, due to the special fire-meteorological conditions, of the fire brigades to extinguish the fire that has been burning in Evros since Saturday morning.

According to the data of the Fire Brigade they are working 214 firefighters with 11 groups of infantry departments and 59 vehicles, forces of the Hellenic Army, volunteer firefighters as well as water tankers and project machinery of the E.S. and of the OTA. From the air, four firefighting aircraft and three firefighting helicopters are assisting in the extinguishing effort.

During the night the hospital was evacuated of Alexandroupolias the flames they reached the enclosure. Sixty-nine of them hospital patients have been transferred to passenger – ferry ship “Adamantios Korais” who takes them to Kavala, with the rest having already been transferred to other hospitals.

According to information, they did 115 transports with 30 EKAV ambulances from Alexandroupolis, Komotini, Kavala, Xanthi, Didymoteicho, Thessaloniki and three military under the orders of the president of EKAV, Nikos Papaefstathiou.

For business they arrived in Alexandroupolis and two units of the Special Disaster Department of EKAB and a mobile coordination center.

Of the 115 patients, 12 were neonates and 8 ICU patients. About 50 ambulatory patients were transported by buses.

Patients were served in the hospitals of Komotini and Xanthi and the newborns in Kavala.

They coordinated the operation the Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistokleous and the president of EKAV Nikos Papaevstathiou.

Alexandroupoli

Nursing homes were evacuated

About 130 elderly people moved away from the Joakimio nursing home and Stavride ecclesiastical institution of chronic sufferers of the I. Metropolis of Alexandroupolis, with the assistance of the municipal authority of Alexandroupoli.

The mayor Yiannis Zamboukis spoke to APE-MPE about the operation of transporting the elderly, noting that protecting them gave him the greatest satisfaction of his life.

“We asked for the assistance of KTEL Alexandroupolis, which provided buses for the transport to a safe place of the guests of the two structures of the Metropolis of Alexandroupoli. Escorted by police and with the help of the staff called by the priests, they were evacuated in two groups as the fire had approached the two buildings. Unfortunately, it was not possible to move about 70 elderly people who are bedridden for their safety, competent fire brigades went to the scene”.

Speaking to SKAI, the deputy mayor of Alexandroupolis Ilias Gasteridis said: “Ashes are falling from the sky, it’s like snowing.”

During the night dAn evacuation order was sent to Alexandroupoli via 112 to the inhabitants of the settlements Plate, Mattock, Long, New Chile, Olive grove, Fir, Pine and Saint George.

Meanwhile, in the fire burning in her forest Nanny yesterday a dead man was found, who is probably a migrant. The unfortunate man was found by an employee of the Forestry Department of Soufli, at a point where the fire that broke out at noon yesterday in the National Park of Dadia – Lefkimi – Soufli had passed.

The young man died of asphyxiation.

The front of the Rhodopes

The fire situation has improved since the morning that broke out yesterday at noon in a forest area in the area of ​​Mischos and in Ano Drosini in Rodopi.

“Today things are a bit more optimistic, there is a relative control of the fires, despite the strong winds that continue to blow in the area,” Rodopis deputy governor, Nikos Tsalikidis, told APE-MPE.

He noted, however, that “Yesterday will remain etched in our mindsafter more than 10 houses were burned in Sosti, Polyanthos and Linos, crops were destroyed, animals were burned and there were injuries.”