Turkey wildfires force evacuations near tourist beaches

Turkish firefighters battled wildfires on Wednesday near the country's southern tourist beaches, with authorities saying hundreds of people had been evacuated.

Turkey's agriculture ministry said hundreds of firefighters were working on the largest fire in Mugla province, supported by more than 20 planes and helicopters dropping water on the flames.

The Mugla governor's office said the fire began on agricultural land and spread to a forest. It said 202 residents and some hospital patients had been evacuated.

Media reports said smoke had closed the main highway from the tourist city of Antalya to the beach resort of Fethiye. NTV television said access to the ancient ruins at Olympos in Antalya province had also been closed.

Another major fire was burning in the Balıkesir region on the Aegean coast, along the road connecting Izmir to the Dardanelles region.

Turkey has also sent two firefighting planes to Spain and two to France, which have been battling forest fires.