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TOURISTS have been airlifted to safety and rescued by boat from popular Brit resorts near Marmaris as wildfires ravage Turkey - killing at least six people.

Frantic photos and videos reveal boats and helicopters rescuing people from beaches in the harrowing scenes as flames raged across the hillside.

The infernos come after a severe heatwave has blasted southern Europe - with temperatures rising above 40C.

Wildfires have also broken out in nearby Greece and Italy, but Turkey has been hit hard with nearly 235,000 acres burned.

More than 330 people have received medical treatment as the flames were worsened by strong winds.

Roads have also been cut off by flames as residents have had to be either airlifted to safety or picked up by boat from the beaches.

Turkey has deployed two navy landing craft to evacuate people from Turunc.

Videos show helicopters appearing to collect evacuees as smoke billowed over the hills near Marmaris.

Other clips showed almost unbelievable scenes as people standing on the coast were left hemmed in by wildfires as they tried to flee.

Incredible photos have shown fires in the hills around popular tourist resorts as the infernos threatened even more devastation.

And another video showed residents waiting on a beach, the skies orange and full of smoke, as they were loaded onto waiting inflatable ribs to escape the flames.

While yesterday a heart stopping clip emerged showing a group of friends in a car being hemmed in by flames as they desperately tried to escape.

Three five star hotels in the city of Bodrum were evacuated by the Turkish Coastguard - along with help from private boats and yachts.

Dozens of villages were also evacuated as the fires entered their fifth day.

Investigators are trying to establish whether some of the fires were started deliberately - with reports of at least one arrest on suspicion of arson.

And there could be more to come with further hot temperatures expected into next week, but the Turkish government believes it now has 107 out of 112 fires under control.

Residents of villages around Marmaris have pleaded for more help on social media as they attempt to escape the marching flames.

Police water cannons, usually used to control riots, helped helicopters and fire trucks in Muglas popular district of Bodrum to fight fires.

Turkish television also showed fires had reignited after being extinguished earlier, with blazes and smoke approaching a village.

Civilians were trying to protect homes and olive groves but some houses were already damaged.

And social media videos showed tourists in Bodrum scampering down streets rolling their luggage to escape the nearby flames.

Turkey's defence ministry released satellite images showing the extent of the damage, with forest areas turned black and smoke still visible.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticised after it emerged that Turkey has no firefighting planes even though one-third of its territory is forested and fires are becoming increasingly frequent.

"If we don't have planes or helicopters, we must buy them," Bodrum mayor Aras of the CHP said in a video shared on Twitter.

Erdogan however insisted Saturday that Turkey had "the strongest infrastructure in the region to fight forest fires" as he promised financial support for those affected.

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And he was slammed after touring the impacted areas in a massive convoy that caused more traffic and for having bags of tea thrown from his bus to people gathered to hear him speak

"Tea! It's unbelievable. Those who lose their shame lose their heart too," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) spokesman Faik Oztrak tweeted.

Read more on The Sun

According to EU figures, Turkey has been hit by 133 wildfires in 2021 so far compared with an average of 43 by this point in the years between 2008 and 2020.

While Turkish authorities say they are investigating whether the fires may have started as sabotage by outlawed Kurdish militants, experts mostly point to the climate crisis.

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