Rescuers evacuate 50,000 as Turkey battles wildfires

Rescuers in Turkey have evacuated more than 50,000 people, mostly from the western province of Izmir, as firefighters battled a string of wildfires, the AFAD disaster agency said Monday.

The worst blaze began Sunday in Seferihisar, a forested area 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the resort city of Izmir, spreading rapidly with winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, officials said.

"A total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas," AFAD wrote on X, saying 79 people had been affected by smoke and other fire-related issues, none seriously.

Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday hit its warmest temperature on record for June at 26.01 degrees Celsius, said a French weather service scientist, citing data from EU monitor Copernicus.

"We have never measured such a high daily temperature in June, averaged over the basin, as Sunday," said Thibault Guinaldo, a researcher at the Centre for Satellite Meteorology Studies under Meteo-France.

At present, sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are 3C higher than average for the same period compared to 1991-2020, with spikes exceeding 4C around the French and Spanish coasts, he added.

"Given the week we're going to have in terms of weather conditions, unfortunately it's not going to get any cooler", Guinaldo said.

It comes as Europe swelters through summer's first major heatwave, with Spain and Portugal setting new temperature highs on Monday as France, Italy and Britain also sizzled.

Spain and Portugal reported record temperatures as Italy and France braced for several more days of a punishing heatwave that has gripped southern Europe and Britain, sparking health and wildfire warnings