Raging Wildfires Threaten Turkey's Popular Southern Tourist Beaches

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Istanbul: Turkish emergency crews and over 3,000 firefighters across the country are battling widespread wildfires near southern tourist beaches, forcing hospital evacuations and road closures.

The largest blaze erupted on agricultural land in Mugla province before spreading into dense forests, where hundreds of firefighters and over 20 water-bombing aircraft fought to suppress the flames.

Thick smoke has severely disrupted travel along the Aegean coast, forcing authorities to close the main highway connecting the tourist city of Antalya to the beach resort of Fethiye and restrict public access to the ancient ruins at Olympos.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that nearly 90 fires broke out nationwide on Wednesday, with emergency responders successfully bringing 81 of them under control.

Despite managing its own widespread emergency, Turkey has also dispatched four firefighting aircraft to assist European partners Spain and France in containing their ongoing forest fires.