Firefighters are battling several wildfires in Greece as a scorching heatwave wreaks havoc across southern Europe. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 152 new fires have broken out across Greece - and thousands of people have been evacuated. Around 4,850 firefighters are engaged in a multi-front battle to contain the flames.

Firefighters battled to contain a wildfire menacing Greece's third-largest city Patras on Wednesday, one of over 20 blazes that have forced the country to appeal for EU help. In the western Achaia region in the Peloponnese,

Greece is facing its toughest days yet of this year's wildfire season, a senior firefighting official said on Wednesday, after dozens of new blazes erupted in a single day and extreme weather hampers extinguishing efforts.