The remains were found in a wooded area near the Turkish border, officials said.
LONDON -- The bodies of 18 people were found amid the wreckage left by wildfires in a hiking area in northeastern Greece, the country's fire service said on Tuesday.
The remains were found northeast of the port city of Alexandroupoli, in an area where trails cross the Turkish border. A disaster victim identification team and investigators were en route to the area, officials said.
Firefighters try to extinguish the flames in a forest in Avantas village, near Alexandroupolis town, in the northeastern Evros region, Greece, Aug. 21, 2023. Gale-force winds are fanning the flames of wildfires across Greece, including 53 new blazes that broke out early Monday.
Achilleas Chiras/AP
"Given that there have been no reports of disappearances or missing residents from the surrounding areas, the possibility that these are people who entered the country illegally is being investigated," the service said in a statement posted in Greek.
Thick smoke rises as a wildfire burn in Dadia forest, in Alexandroupolis, Thrace, northern Greece, Aug. 21, 2023. The wildfire spread rapidly due to the strong winds.
Dimitris Alexoudis/EPA via Shutterstock
A series of fast-moving fires began sweeping through the country last month, prompting Greek officials to warn tourists and residents in several regions to evacuate.
A helicopter flies over as wildfire rages near Alexandroupoli, northern Greece, Aug. 21, 2023.
Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images
The fire service said on Tuesday that it had sent emergency messages within the last day to the region where the remains were discovered.
Those messages were also sent to phones used on foreign carriers, the service said.
