Janez Lenarcic

As a devastating wildfire rages through southern Greece, international support has emerged to assist local firefighters and volunteers battling the flames.

Pledges of aid poured in from other European Union countries, with two waterbombing aircraft from Italy joining the efforts late Tuesday.

Devastating floods through much of Central Europe and deadly wildfires in Portugal are joint proof of a "climate breakdown" that will become the norm unless drastic action is taken, the European Union's crisis management chief has said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity with Greece as it battles a major wildfire in northeastern Attica.

In a post on platform X on Monday, she said, "We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires," and announced that the EU is sending support from its rescEU fleet, including two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France.

A wildfire in southwestern Cyprus has been brought under partial control, Kathimerini Cyprus reported Wednesday. The fire has damaged 14 houses and completely destroyed three in the Paphos region.

Condolences and an offer of assistance from the EU to locate the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have stirred widespread anger, as reported by Politico. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced in a message that the EU had activated the Copernicus Earth observation system to aid in the search for the aircraft.

A senior European Union official has warned that the already catastrophic situation in Gaza may become apocalyptic if there is no humanitarian pause or any arrangement for dispatching humanitarian assistance to the civilians in the enclave.

A forest fire in Greece is the largest recorded in the European Union, said a spokesman for the European Commission, quoted by "Guardian" and "AFP".

Eleven aircraft and a helicopter from the EU fleet have been sent to help fight the fire north of the city of Alexandroupolis along with 407 firefighters, Balazs Ujvari said on Tuesday.

Firefighters struggled Thursday against strong winds and hot, dry conditions to tame multiple wildfires ravaging Greece, including one in the country's northeast that officials say is the largest recorded in the European Union.

The European Union wants to sign contracts this year for up to 12 firefighting planes, the first it would fully own, to improve its ability to fight blazes fuelled by climate change, the bloc's head of crisis management said.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic has said that the rescEU aerial firefighting fleet will be doubled for this year's wildfire season. The announcement was made Wednesday during the 10th anniversary celebration of the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Center.