Eyewitness Heat and fires in south-east Europe

Tourists in the Aegean Sea resort of Icmeler, near Marmaris, look on while wildfires rip through a nearby forest, as one of southeast Europe’s worst heatwaves in decades intensified this week.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was criticised over the country’s lack of firefighting planes, as authorities in Istanbul were promised water-dropping planes from the European Union. Turkey is suffering its worst fires in at least 10 years, with nearly 95,000 hectares burned so far this year and at least eight people killed.

Wildfires also broke out across much of southern Europe, including Greece, Spain and Italy, with temperatures rising above 40C, forcing hundreds to evacuate. A major blaze broke out early last Saturday near Patras in western Greece and five villages have been evacuated. Eight people in the region were hospitalised with burns and respiratory problems.

In Italy, holidaymakers were evacuated after wildfires near Pescara. More than 200 people were also taken to safety from the seaside around Catania in Sicily. Lorenzo Tondo and agencies