The couple found dead in their vehicle in last week’s wildfire were officials identified on Tuesday as 81-year-old Dimitris and 77-year-old Maro Philippides.

“The official autopsies on the two bodies were performed on Friday, July 25, which determined the burning of the bodies as the cause of death,” the police said.

Members of the civil defence discovered the couple in their burnt out car on the Monagri-Alassa road at around 9pm last Wednesday. Initially they thought it was just one body, but it was later announced there were two.

The couple are believed to have been trying to flee the fire at their holiday home in Sylikou.

The community leader of the village, Nikos Aresti on Friday said the couple had not joined the group of residents who gathered at the village square after an evacuation order was issued by police.

“We rang the church bells to gather people,” he said.

“Most came to the square. This couple didn’t, so we sent someone to inform them.”

Some residents, he said, chose to leave in their cars in an effort to save their vehicles from the approaching fire, with the couple believed to have taken the same road which likely had already been blocked or rendered unsafe by the fire.

“They followed the wrong road,” Aresti said.