3 dead as wildfires rage across Greece

Three people have died in wildfires that continued to rage across Greece.

A woman was found dead in a trailer near Volos where a major wildfire broke out on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Greek national broadcaster ERT. Her husband was seriously injured.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old shepherd was found dead a few kilometres away, according to the report. He had rushed with his brother to move their animals to safety.

The body of a man was also found a few hours earlier near the seaside resort of Karystos on Evia island. A water-dropping aircraft had crashed there on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot.

Although formal identification is still pending, relatives of a 41-year-old shepherd who has been missing since Sunday after also going out to move his animals to safety believe it is his body, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

A total of 594 wildfires have broken out across Greece in the past 10 days, including 61 on Wednesday. The fire near Volos is among the most challenging, said Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias.

Settlements have been evacuated as temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds have created fronts extending several kilometres, he added.

AMNA reported that firefighters are battling flames near Volos industrial area, where factories have also been evacuated, as well as close to settlements of high archaeological value.

They are also fighting rekindled fire fronts on the islands of Corfu and Rhodes, the Fire Service said.

A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday for the island of Rhodes, as wildfires burned for the ninth consecutive day. However, the state of emergency does not imply that Rhodes is not safe for visitors, rather it relates to the compensation process for the damage caused by the fires.

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou held a series of telephone conversations with her counterparts from Italy, Portugal, Malta and Bulgaria on Wednesday. She has suggested a joint initiative among southern European countries, to deal with the climate crisis, her office announced.