Numerous forest fires are spreading through Greece and Turkey in the latest outbreak for fire services across Europe.

On the Greek island of Crete, many towns have already been evacuated, and thousands of holidaymakers have been affected. In Turkey, several tourist regions are under threat from the flames.

As well as the intense heat and drought, strong to gale-force winds – known as the Meltemi locally – are also hampering fire-fighting efforts. They keep fanning the flames and are hindering the deployment of fire-fighting aircraft.

The situation in the affected regions is set to remain precarious over the coming days: with the heatwave continuing and strong winds persisting, the risk of forest fires is not expected to ease for the time being.