Over 40 Dead as 'Devastating' Mediterranean Wildfires Hit 9 Countries Across Europe and North Africa

"Things will probably get worse, not better, with warmer temperatures, more drought, stronger winds," said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Over 40 people have died as wildfires sparked by high winds and a dangerous heatwave across the Mediterranean.

Following CNN's report last week that concerns over parts of southern Europe's second scorching heat wave could pave the way for wildfires, The Guardian reported Wednesday that wildfires are raging in at least nine countries along the Mediterranean, including Spain, Croatia, Italy and Algeria.

Algeria, where at least 34 people have been killed, has the highest death toll, according to CNN and the BBC, Ten of the victims were soldiers, per Reuters and the BBC.

Algeria's Civil Protection Services said in a statement on Wednesday that it has managed to contain all wildfires and that the situation appears to be under control, CNN reported.

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Italy is battling 10 fires in the country's south, including blazes in Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo and Puglia, where 2,000 people were evacuated from three hotels on Tuesday evening, CNN reported.

Sicilian President Renato Schifani said Tuesday was "one of the most difficult days in decades" due to "scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires" in Sicily, Al Jazeera reported, citing a translated Facebook message.

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According to CNN and Al Jazeera, two people in their 70s were discovered dead from burns inside their Palermo, Sicily, home on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an 88-year-old woman died after an ambulance was obstructed by fires near Palermo, while an 98-year-old man died when flames reached his home in southern Italy, per CNN.

The Italian government was scheduled to meet in Rome on Wednesday evening to declare a state of emergency in natural disaster-affected areas and to implement a special furlough plan for workers most vulnerable to the heatwave, Al Jazeera reported.

In Tunisia, the BBC reported that 300 people had to be evacuated from the town of Melloula. Adil El Selmy spoke to the network after his restaurant, which stood halfway between Tabarka and Melloula, was destroyed by fire.

"We left the restaurant as the flames approached," Selmy said, adding that the flames could not be extinguished "after the wooden building was devastated" amid water disturbances in Tabarka last week.

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Meanwhile, the Civil Protection Ministry in Greece issued an "extreme danger" fire warning in six of the country's 13 regions on Wednesday, according to the BBC.

CNN, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported that two pilots were killed in Evia, which is north of Athens, after their plane crashed as it battled fires. Greece’s armed forces have announced three days of national mourning, per CNN.

A 41-year-old stockbreeder who had been missing since Sunday was also discovered burned in a shack in a remote area, Al Jazeera reported.

At a government cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the fires were a "tough test" for the country, according to CNN. He predicted that "things will probably get worse, not better, with warmer temperatures, more drought, stronger winds."

The World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists who quantify how climate change influences the intensity and likelihood of an extreme weather event, said in a report released Tuesday that the heat wave in Europe would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change.

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