Greece tackles wildfires as extreme heat hits

Firefighters have been fighting the blazes from the air and on the ground

Firefighters in Greece are continuing to tackle wildfires in several parts of the country for the second day.

There are five major fires across the country.

Residents in a region just north of the capital Athens have been evacuated.

Czech firefighters and Italian aircraft are due to arrive later on Sunday to help fight the fires.

The ongoing emergency comes as a severe heatwave hits the country, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 44 celsius.

Residents in the town of Kryoneri, 12 miles north from Athens, have had to evacuate along with people living in villages in the same region after a fire which broke out on Saturday rapidly spread.

Four other fires continue to burn across the mainland and several islands including Crete.

On the island of Kythira, the coastguard along with private boats rescued people from one of the beaches and took to safety.

Record breaking temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires to spread more easily and the scattered locations have made tackling the blazes difficult. .

Five major fires are raging across the country

Greece has formally requested assistance from the EU.

Two Italian aircraft are expected to arrive later on Sunday, while Czech Republic firefighters are reportedly already on the ground.

Officials said on Sunday that the situation was improving, but there was still a fire threat across the country.

"Today is expected to be a difficult day with a very high risk of fire, almost throughout the territory", fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said in a statement.

Last month, fires broke out on Greece's fifth-biggest island Chios, while earlier this month a major wildfire in Crete forced the evacuation of thousands of people.