Tourists evacuated in Greek island fire outbreak

Hundreds of tourists were evacuated from hotels and beaches on the Greek island of Samos where a wildfire broke out Saturday, officials said.

Nearly 70 firefighters and 13 engines were battling the fire in the east of the island, the fire department said.

The local mayor said around 1,000 people had been evacuated to the nearby town of Pythagoreio from several hotels.

"It's not a very large front, but it is located near hotels," Samos mayor Christodoulos Sevastakis told SKAI TV.

"Pythagoreio is not in danger," he added.

Coastguard vessels also evacuated dozens of bathers from the beaches of Glykoriza and Proteas, state agency ANA said.

Over 50 fires have broken out nationwide over the last 24 hours, fanned by gale-force winds, the fire department said.

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