Dozens of new wildfires break out across Greece

Thirty-nine new wildfires have broken out across Greece within the space of a few hours, the fire service reported on Tuesday.

The most severe fire is raging on the island of Salamis, off the coast of Athens, according to firefighters.

The island is home to the Greek Navy's largest base. According to firefighters on the ground, the base was not at risk.

The fire raged through a gorge and was tackled by numerous firefighting aircraft and helicopters. In addition, large fire brigade units and volunteers have been deployed, broadcaster ERT reported.

Due to the ongoing drought, the risk of wildfires remains high across large parts of Greece, according to the civil defence agency.

Temperatures in central Athens reached 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and the current heatwave has been forecast to persist until the beginning of next week.