Hundreds flee by boat as wildfire hits southern Italy
This photograph obtained from Italian news agency Ansa shows a vast wildfire spreading in the forest near the Adriatic sea resort of Peschici from where hundreds of people were evacuated by sea as the fire swept through, in the southeastern Italy province of Puglia on July 26, 2026.
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"More than 400 tourists and beachgoers have been evacuated by sea, the only viable evacuation route," the coastguard said on its WhatsApp channel, adding that operations were ongoing.
Evacuees were being rescued from the area around the town of Peschici in the southern Puglia region.
A coastguard spokesman told AFP that around 300 more people were expected to be evacuated.
Six coastguard vessels, three boats from Italy's financial police and around 10 private vessels were involved in the operation, the coastguard said.
Images showed firefighters and a Canadair waterbomber battling the blaze, which was not immediately threatening homes in the town.
A huge plume of smoke could be seen from dozens of kilometres away.
"The situation is currently under control," Peschici mayor Luigi d'Arenzo was quoted as saying by local daily Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno.
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