Wildfires continue to rage throughout the Mediterranean from the Canary Islands to North Africa and Turkey. DW has the latest on the areas affected and what is being done to fight the fires.
The summer vacation season in resorts across the Mediterranean has turned into a nightmare of apocalyptic proportions as deadly wildfires have broken out across the region fueled by dry weather conditions and soaring temperatures.
Scientists rank the Mediterranean region as a climate crisis "hot spot," with the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning of more heatwaves, crop failures, droughts, rising seas and influxes of invasive species.
In response to the threat to lives, livelihoods and ecosystems, the EU has stepped in to provide much-needed support for countries fighting wildfires after Greece and Tunisia both activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Ten countries — Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia — are contributing to the EU's response to the wildfires in Greece, with over 490 firefighters and seven planes sent to different areas of the country. Two planes from the EU's firefighting reserve (rescEU) hosted by Spain are being deployed to northwest Tunisia. Egypt has also supplied helicopters to Greece.
