Athens, 27 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) — Large forest fires in north-east Greece near the border with Turkey continued to burn for the ninth day in a row on Sunday.

Conditions for firefighters are very difficult and hopes of containing the fire are not yet in sight, Dimitris Petrovich, the region's deputy governor, told broadcaster ERT on Sunday morning.

"Unfortunately, we don't see that the front can be contained and brought under control," he said.

Winds are expected to shift on Monday and the flames could spread even further, he said.

The forests in the Dadia area are virgin forests that have deliberately been left natural and have not been logged, Petrovich said. That is now complicating firefighting efforts.

Regional authorities have renewed appeals for more firefighters.

Around 74,000 hectares have been scorched in the north-east of Greece, 13,000 of them in the Dadia national park alone, Greek media reported. The European Commission described it as the largest single fire in the history of the European Union.

On Tuesday, the charred bodies of 18 people, believed to be migrants, were found in Evros. Two more bodies were discovered on Friday.

Forest and bush fires also continued to burn in other parts of the country, but most of the fires were kept under control or brought under control over the weekend.

The fires now under control include in the north-west of Athens and on the islands of Andros and Euboea.

Greek civil defence authorities said the overall risk of forest fires has decreased compared to last week.