Eleven forest workers have died when they fought a forest fire in western Turkey, according to local authorities.
The fire occurred near Eskisehir, about 20 miles southwest of Ankara.
"We are deeply moved by the loss of eleven brave forest workers who died when they fought the flames", writes a member of parliament for the constituency, Nebi Hatipoglu, on X.
The victims were caught by the flames when the fire quickly changed direction, according to the news site Birgun.
High temperatures and strong winds have fueled the fire that has ravaged between Istanbul and the capital Ankara since Tuesday morning. Several villages have been evacuated.
Temperatures in Turkey are between six and twelve degrees above normal for the season.
Also on Cyprus, south of Turkey, large fires are raging according to Euronews. Four villages on the island have been forced to evacuate since the first fire broke out at lunchtime on Wednesday. At the same time, the heat is rising, on Thursday the temperature is expected to reach 45 degrees - in that case the hottest day of the year.
Further west, in Greece, forest fires are also raging and several villages have been evacuated.
