Athens, 24 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Greek firefighters on Monday were starting their eighth straight day of battle against wildfires.

Large fires have broken out on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu and in numerous other regions of Greece, which has been suffering a prolonged drought.

On Corfu, the evacuation of the popular holiday resort of Nisaki began on Sunday night. Coast guard boats brought around 1,000 holidaymakers and residents to safety, state television reported.

Large fires were also reported on the island of Evia, near Karystos, and on the Peloponnese peninsula near the small port town of Aigio on Monday morning. Numerous villages were evacuated there as well. No one has been injured so far, the rescue service said.

On Rhodes, a major fire raged for the seventh day in a row on Monday. There, around 20,000 people from the south-east of the island had been brought to safety on Saturday in one of Greece's largest ever evacuation operations.

Firefighting planes and helicopters were deployed at first light on Monday to all the firegrounds, according to the Civil Defence.

The first fires began near Athens on Monday last week, amid a heatwave and strong winds.