One woman has died as wildfires raged through a popular British holiday hotspot in southern France.
Nine people have been injured as blazes scorched through the Corbières hills.
The fires have burned 13,000 hectares inland from the Mediterranean near the Spanish border, marking the largest wildfire in France this summer.
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It started in the village of Ribaute in the Aude department, spreading across rural and wooded areas of the Corbières.
The blaze has burned 13,000 hectares
|REUTERS
One woman died in her home with another individual being left in a critical condition, according to the Aude prefecture.
The firefighters spokesman Eric Brocardi said the wildfires have been "a disaster of unprecedented scale" and remained "very active".
An official in the southern city of Narbonne, Remi Recio, said: "The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control."
Planes have been seen dropping water on the flames, and the secretary general of the Aude prefecture, Lucie Roesch, says the fire will keep us busy for several days.
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Roesch said: "The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress. We are monitoring the edges and the back of the fire to prevent flare-ups."
Weather conditions are expected to remain unfavourable due to strong winds and rising temperatures.
Camping grounds and at least one village have been partially evacuated, with multiple roads shut off.
Residents and tourists have been told to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate by firefighters.
Helicopters and planes have been seen dropping water on the flames
|REUTERS
One local resident told France Two TV: "I wanted to go back to my house to get my things, but I couldn't go in. We're waiting to see what the damage was. When I left, there were flames at the foot of the house."
French president, Emmanuel Macron, wrote on social media: "All of the nation's resources are mobilised," and people should exercise "the utmost caution".
Southern Europe has experienced several large fires this summer, with Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and Spain all being hit.
Several other areas in the Balkans have also been hit, including in Bulgaria, where an arson suspect has been caught starting a blaze on CCTV.
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