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Greece wildfires death toll rises as a new heatwave spreads in Europe

As the death toll from Greek wildfires hits 20, hospital patients have been evacuated onto a ferry in the port city of Alexandroupolis (Dedeagac) and a new heatwave hit southern Europe.

AFP

As no local residents had been reported missing "the possibility that they are people who entered our country illegally is under investigation," a police official says. / Photo: AFP

Eighteen suspected asylum seekers have been found dead in a Greece forest fire near the Turkish border as scores of firefighters battled to contain the second deadly wave of blazes to hit the country in a month.

Fire department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said the victims were found north of the city of Alexandroupolis (Dedeagac) on Tuesday.

As no local residents had been reported missing "the possibility that they are people who entered our country illegally is under investigation," Artopios said in a televised address.

The area is a frequent entry point for irregular migrants.

The latest deaths pushed the overall toll from this week's fires to 20, after another suspected migrant was found dead in the area Monday.

Meanwhile, in Alexandroupolis, a ferry was turned into a makeshift hospital after 65 patients, including newborn babies, were evacuated from the University Hospital in the early hours.

"I've been working for 27 years, I've never seen anything like this," said nurse Nikos Gioktsidis. "Stretchers everywhere, patients here, IV drips there ... it was like a war, like a bomb had exploded."

Shepherd trying to save flock killed as Greece battles new wildfires

Europe on red alert

Several communities in the broader Evros region, near the border with Türkiye, have been evacuated as authorities warned the risk of new fires remained high in the next few days.

Authorities also urged residents to avoid the heat as France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere suffered hot, dry and windy conditions that scientists have linked to the climate crisis.

In Spain, where most of the country was in very high or extreme risk of wildfire as a consequence of the summer's fourth heatwave, authorities were struggling to stabilise a huge wildfire that has been ravaging forests on the island of Tenerife for a week.

The blaze has burned through 150 square kilometres in 12 municipalities forcing the evacua tion of thousands of people.

In Italy, around 700 people have been evacuated after a fire broke out on Monday on the Tuscan island of Elba, in the woods between Rio Marina, firefighter Alessandro Vitaliano told Reuters. No casualties have been reported.

The fire was being contained but was in a hard-to-reach area. A total of 0.14 square kilometres have burned so far. Evacuees are expected to return to their homes in the evening, Italian news agency ANSA said. The cause of the fire was not known.

Italy issued hot weather red alerts in 16 of the country's 27 main cities on Tuesday, including Rome, Milan and Florence, with the number set to rise on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in France, four southern regions — the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire — were placed under red alert, the most serious warning. This allows authorities to call off events and close public facilities if needed.