Eighteen bodies have been discovered in a forested region of northern Greece that has been engulfed by wildfires for the past four days, according to the Greek fire service.
The tragic incident has raised suspicions that the victims might be migrants attempting to cross the border into the European Union.
The fires have ravaged the Evros region in north-eastern Greece, close to the Turkish border, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
In the midst of the chaos, a hospital in the city of Alexandroupolis was forced to evacuate its patients, including newborns and intensive care cases, moving them to a ferry at the port for safety.
Flames have spread rapidly within the large wooded Dadia national park, situated to the north of Alexandroupolis, fueled by high winds and temperatures exceeding 40°C in some areas on Tuesday.
Emergency services issued mobile alerts urging residents to evacuate as the fires continued to advance.
Prior to the discovery of the bodies, initial reports indicated the death of a migrant in the area.
However, on Tuesday, the fire brigade found eighteen more bodies near a hut outside the village of Avantas, suggesting that the victims may have been seeking refuge in the building.
Yiannis Artopios, a spokesman for the fire service, mentioned that the possibility of the victims being migrants who entered Greece illegally was under investigation, as no reports of missing residents had been received.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the bodies were found in two separate groups, raising concerns that the casualty count could rise further.
The Evros region has become a well-known route for Syrian and Asian migrants, as they attempt to cross the River Evros from Turkey into the European Union.
The Dadia forest, where the fires have been raging, is also commonly used as a pathway by migrants.
Amid the unfolding tragedy, the migrant support group Alarm Phone reported receiving distress calls from migrants stranded by the fires.
Some migrants had already crossed the border, while others were trapped on islands in the River Evros.
In just three days, approximately 380,000 acres of land have been scorched by the wildfires in the Evros region alone, as reported by the National Observatory of Athens' Meteo unit.
Firefighters are struggling to contain major outbreaks in various parts of Greece, with tens of thousands of residents being urged to evacuate from affected areas.
The fires have led to the evacuation of several villages on the island of Evia and in Boeotia in central Greece.
The sky over many regions of Greece has been shrouded in thick smoke, visible even from space.