Thousands evacuated from wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes

Tourists in Rhodes are being told to head for the airport to go home after being evacuated from an area with wildfires during a heatwave

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu, after wildfires broke out.

Greece has been experiencing hot and dry conditions, with temperatures over 40C which has caused the wildfires.

People have been evacuated from homes and hotels on the island, amidst orange skies, smoke and falling ash.

Holiday companies are now sending planes to Rhodes to collect British tourists who are stranded after having to leave their hotels.

Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the island of Rhodes by land and sea.

Greece's Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was "the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country".

People have been sleeping in sports halls, conference centres and at the airport waiting to find a route home.

Some holiday companies are sending planes to Rhodes to bring people back to the UK.

Jet 2 has cancelled flights to Rhodes until Sunday and Tui cancelled flights there until Tuesday.

Greece's fire service described the fires as the most difficult it had ever faced, with the flames worsened by strong winds over the past week.

The fires come after unusually hot temperatures have hit many parts of Europe.