Six dead from fires in Turkey

Fires broke out Wednesday and have since left more than 300 people injured and forced the evacuation of entire villages.

The state news agency Anadolu said the number of victims reached six after the lifeless bodies of the two workers who had attempted to put out the fires were found.

Anadolu said a fire broke out in the resort town of Bodrum on Saturday, while media have reported that residents have fled their homes and vacationers from hotels.

Ten fires are still active, while another 88 have been under control since Wednesday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Packemirli announced.

Investigators have started working to see if some of the fires have been intentional.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayip Erdogan, has thanked his Russian counterpart, Valdimir Putin, during a telephone conversation after Russia sent planes and helicopters to help extinguish the fires, the Turkish Presidency said.

Erdogan has been criticised as Turkey has no aircraft for extinguishing the fires, despite a third of this state's territory as a mountainous area and fires have become a growing problem.

The main reason for these problems with airplanes is that the Turkish Aeronautics Association has not been able to update its fleet and” technology, Erdogan said during the visit to the town of Manavgat, located in areas affected by fires.

Over 2,600 fires have erupted on average annually in the last decade, where last year the number has been higher, 3,400 said Husrev Ozkara, deputy director of the Turkish Forest Association.