Eight people have died in wildfires which have torn through the Turkish coast
2 August 2021, 18:45 | Updated: 2 August 2021, 18:49
At least eight people have died in Turkey where firefighters are battling devastating wildfires for a sixth day.
Coastal areas are among the worst-affected, with wildfires tearing through forests forcing both residents and tourists to flee vacation resorts.
The fires started on Wednesday and were fed by strong winds and scorching temperatures.
Eight people have tragically died in the fires and many villagers have lost homes, farm animals and had trouble breathing amid the heavy smoke.
There have been more than 120 fires in Turkey alone, with 27 people being treated in hospital.
Agriculture and forestry minister Bekir Pakdemirli said crews were still tackling seven fires in the coastal provinces of Antalya and Mugla that are popular tourist areas.
Ülke olarak omuz omuza büyük bir mücadele içindeyiz. Yılmak, yorulmak, ayrışmak bize yakışmaz. Her zorluğu birlik ve beraberlikle aştık. Yine aşacağız, birlikte başaracağız.🇹🇷🇹🇷#OrmanVatandır #StrongTürkiye pic.twitter.com/6fE7jpFa3M
— Orman Genel Müdürlüğü (@OGMgovtr) August 2, 2021
Other active fires were in Isparta, 236 miles northeast, in Denizli province in southwest Turkey.
Another fire in Tunceli, in southeast Turkey, was contained on Monday, the minister said.
Mr Pakdemirli said: "We are going through days when the heat is above 40 C (104 degrees Fahrenheit), where the winds are strong and humidity is extremely low.
"We are struggling under such difficult conditions."
The EU said it helped mobilise firefighting planes from Croatia and Spain to help Turkey.
Planes from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran have also been fighting the blazes.
Spain's government said it is sending two water-dumping aircraft and one transport plane to help Turkey with the wildfires, as well as 27 soldiers to help out.
