On the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, firefighters battled for a second day to control a massive wildfire which engulfed mountain villages north of the city of Limassol. Six countries from Spain to Jordan were deploying aid, officials said.

Firefighters in Cyprus were battling on Wednesday to contain a huge wildfire forcing the evacuation of at least four villages on the first day of a heatwave which sent temperatures soaring.

Wednesday's fires broke out on the first day of a heatwave in Cyprus with forecasters expecting temperatures on Thursday to hit 45 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day of the year.