Watch: Rhodes wildfire burns for seventh day as temperatures rise on Greek island

Watch as plumes of smoke rise over Rhodes as wildfires rage for a seventh day.

The island is bracing for at least another 48 hours of wildfire hell as temperatures throughout southern Europe are expected to peak on Wednesday 26 July.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, has warned of tough days ahead, but suggested conditions could improve after Thursday.

“All of us are standing guard. In the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean which is a climate change hot-spot, there is no magical defence mechanism,” he told ministers.

The Greek Fire Brigade has already been battling more than 500 fires for almost two weeks, while the high temperatures of the recent new heatwave are set to peak throughout Europe and could exceed 44C in some areas of Greece.

The blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history, with over 20,000 people forced to flee homes and hotels over the weekend, while around 2,500 people have also been evacuated from Corfu.