Wildfires driven by searing temperatures and strong winds ravaged Turkey and parts of Greece in recent days, leaving four people dead and forcing hundreds of residents and tourists to flee the flames.

Greece and Turkey continue to battle major wildfires amid a severe heatwave. Temperatures reached 42.4C in central Greece at the weekend, with emergency services battling fires in the Peloponnese area of Athens and on the popular tourist islands of Kytheria and Crete.

Wildfires have engulfed Turkey for weeks, threatening Bursa, the country’s fourth-largest city and forcing over 1,700 people to flee.

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks are threatening the country's fourth-largest city, leading to hundreds of people fleeing their homes.

Mr Yumaklı said Turkey broken an all-time temperature record on Friday of 50.5C in the southeastern Sirnak. Information published by the country’s General Directorate of Meteorology suggested that temperatures would rise by another 10 degrees, starting Saturday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations.

Bursa, in Turkey, has been surrounded by wildfires forcing almost 2,000 people to flee their homes, while a firefighter has died battling the blazes - which have been raging since late June

New wildfires have broken out on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast and the government has declared two western provinces to be disaster zones.