Villages in southern Albania battle wildfires

Soldiers and firefighters on Tuesday were battling flames raging near southern Albanian villages near the Greek border, the defence ministry said as a heatwave sweeps the Balkans.

Fire crews, backed by a helicopter, brought several wildfires under control on Monday, but high temperatures and winds have spurred the flames' spread near the villages of Dropull and Finiq, the ministry said.

A heatwave expected to last until the end of the week has swept across the Balkans, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius in Albania.