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‘It Was Like A War’: Wildfire Forces Hospital Patients To Evacuate Onto Ferry

(Photo by SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Elizabeth Weibel Contributor
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A hospital in a Greek town was forced to evacuate dozens of patients onto a ferry as wildfires continued to spread for a fourth day.

The University Hospital in Alexandroupolis, Greece, moved 65 patients, including newborn babies onto a makeshift hospital on a ferry as flames continued to spread through parts of Greece, according to Reuters.

“I’ve been working for 27 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Nikos Gioktsidis said, per the outlet. “Stretchers everywhere, patients here, IV drips there… it was like a war, like a bomb had exploded.”

Having pressed the Adamantios Korais ferry into service as a floating hospital, staff placed patients wherever they could, including on the boat’s cafeteria floor, Reuters reported. (RELATED: Thousands Forced To Flee As Wildfire Rages Through Greece)

Officials from the fire brigade revealed on Tuesday that 18 charred bodies had been discovered in northern Greece as wildfires ravaged the country amid an ongoing European heatwave, per the outlet. The bodies are believed to be those of migrants, according to Reuters.

Parts of Greece, including the capital city of Athens, have been placed on alert, as high temperatures and winds could possibly lead to more wildfires. Athens has reportedly seen high temperatures throughout the summer and should expect temperatures around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) this week, according to BBC.