Greece’s Prime Minister has apologised for failures in tackling the wildfires tearing across the country.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling huge blazes that have forced thousands of people to flee their homes and destroyed dozens if properties.
“We may have done what was humanly possible, but in many cases it was not enough,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Thick smoke has been pouring off the island of Evia, north-east of Athens, which in Evia, on the outskirts of the capital, and in other parts of Greece.
Hundreds of residents have been ordered to leave the island to escape the fires, though some were determined to stay to defend their properties.
“I completely understand the pain of our fellow citizens who saw their homes or property burning,” said Prime Minister Mitsotakis in a TV address.
But he said the country was “facing a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions”.
Public anger has been growing at delays and breakdowns in the government’s response, including an apparent lack of water-dropping planes.
Mitsotakis said “any failures will be identified”, but insisted firefighters were in a battle with “supernatural powers that often exceed their strength”.
He blamed the fires on the “climate crisis” that causes “fires that last for weeks”.
