Two dead and hundreds evacuated as twin fires break out on Greek island

Two people died and and hundreds were evacuated after two fires broke out "almost simultaneously" on a Greek island near Athens, fire officials said.

About 200 firefighters were working to keep the twin fires from converging on the island of Salamina, which was under a high wildfire risk on Sunday.

The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time (11:40 GMT) near the island's south coast and spread rapidly due to high winds, followed by the second some 20 minutes later in the east.

More than 360 people have so far been evacuated by sea, Greek media report.

Five patrol boats have been sent to the area and several other private vessels are being made available for assistance, he added. A number of aircraft and 50 fire engines have also been deployed.

The first fire broke out in a mixed residential and forested area in Peristeria, a southern city on the island, chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said in a statement, followed by the second in the eastern town of Selinia.

Firefighters attending the first blaze found two bodies at the scene, he said.

At least four people have been taken to a local health centre with burns.

Salamina Deputy Mayor Thodoris Zannis said firefighters were trying to keep the fires from burning over a mountain on the island and meeting to form a single blaze.

The operation is being assisted by water tankers and construction machinery.

Salamina sits just west of Athens and has some 37,000 residents, many of them elderly.

Firefighters across Europe have been facing a series of wildfires this weekend, including officers in Belgium spending a third day beating back flames in the country's largest nature reserve, Hautes Fagnes.

The wildfire - described as the largest in the country's recent history - has more than doubled in size in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, at least one person died and dozens were injured in a wildfire that tore through Croatia's coastline overnight on Friday.