Nearly 3,000 tourists evacuated from Mediterranean holiday hotspot amid overwhelming wildfires

Almost 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a Mediterranean holiday hotspot as overwhelming wildfires engulfed several areas in the south of France.

The largest fires have spread across the country's Aude and Herault regions, local authorities have said.

Tourists and local residents were forced to be evacuated in the Pyrenees-Orientales region following a blaze breaking out in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer.

The flames later spread to Canet-en-Roussillon, situated close to the Spanish border.

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The wildfires come just days after Europe was battered by a record-breaking heatwave, with some areas of France hitting highs of up to 43C.

Images captured in Canet-en-Roussillon show warehouses and a yacht ablaze, while a thick cloud of smoke could be seen hovering over the town's beach.

Senior Pyrenees-Orientales regional official, Pierre Regnault de La Mothe, confirmed two firefighters had been injured as they attempted to tackle the blazes.

Earlier on Thursday, emergency services managed to quell two wildfires tearing through the outskirts of Marseille.

France's Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, held crisis talks in Marseille to address the blazes engulfing the country's southern regions.

He described the current situation as "fairly tense".

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that around 1,200 firefighters had been mobilised to tackle the infernos.

He wrote on social media: "Our security forces have been strongly mobilised since yesterday afternoon to combat several wildfires in the south of France.

"Weather conditions remain particularly unfavorable - With gusts reaching up to 60 km/h inland and up to 90 km/h along the coast, the day and the coming days are shaping up to be particularly challenging, especially as these areas are also experiencing exceptional drought.

"Nine out of 10 wildfires are of human origin.I therefore appeal to everyone's responsibility - Let us redouble our vigilance and respect the authorities' instructions.

"I wish to salute the commitment and professionalism of the nearly 1,200 firefighters mobilised simultaneously on these three fires, as well as that of the civilian and military security personnel, gendarmes, police officers, accredited civil security associations, volunteers, elected officials, and local government agents."

The Interiror Minister also confirmed that nearly 900 hectares of forest have been destroyed in Herault and Aude, alongside 260 hectares in Lancon-Provence.

More to follow...

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