Forest fire spreading on Rhodes

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A helicopter tries to put out some of the flames.

Firefighters are trying to extinguish a big forest fire raging on the Greek holiday island of Rhodes, while a blaze north of Athens has been contained.

Water-bombing aircraft are tackling the blaze on Rhodes, which has burnt at least 1,000 hectares of forest. It has not reached any tourist resorts.

France and Italy have sent planes to central Rhodes to help fight the fire, the French news agency AFP reports.

Dozens of villagers fled the fire in the Kryoneri area near Athens.

It spread earlier in the week from Varibombi, 20km (12.5 miles) from the capital.

Last year, at least 65 people were killed during wildfires in southern Greece triggered by high temperatures, which destroyed 270,000 hectares (666,000 acres) of forest and farmland.

Green campaigners have accused the Greek conservative government of failing to take sufficient steps to avoid another disaster this year.