At least one person has died and around 40 others have been injured after a severe wildfire tore through cities on Croatia’s coastline on Thursday night and Friday morning.
The blaze broke out near the village of Lokva Rogoznica on Thursday evening, and spread quickly towards the nearby tourist town of Omis, 6km (7 miles) away.
Around 1,200 residents and tourists were evacuated, while 10 people were in intensive care in hospital, the prime minister said. Croatia’s fire chief Slavko Tucakovic described it as “one of the worst” blazes in the country’s history.
Croatia is one of several European nations suffering devastating wildfires, after a summer of extreme heat and dry conditions.
Villages near the Adriatic city of Split were struck by the blaze, which coursed through pine forest-lined hillside, causing extensive damage to homes and cars.
Tucakovic said the firestorm burned through “everything in their path” as officials confirmed flames, fanned by strong winds, engulfed 1,000 hectares in just four hours.
More than 300 firefighters were deployed overnight on Thursday, with crews sometimes forced to retreat as the fire advanced.
Footage shared online shows thick smoke and huge flames tearing through surrounding vegetation, turning the sky red, as stranded residents and tourists looked on.
Some people were forced to jump into the sea from boats to escape the fire.
