ATHENS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- An elderly shepherd lost his life on Monday in a wildfire near a settlement in Greece's Viotia region, some 100 kilometers northwest of Athens, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
The man died while he attempted to move his livestock to safety. Under similar circumstances, two other shepherds died in Greece earlier this summer.
Two settlements have already been evacuated in the region as firefighters were battling the flames fueled by strong winds.
In Brussels, Belgium, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said on Monday that in response to the wildfires raging for a third day near the city of Alexandroupolis in northern Greece, two firefighting planes based in Cyprus and a firefighting team from Romania will be dispatched to assist Greek firefighters via the European Union's (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism.
Strong winds were hampering efforts to contain two wildfires near Alexandroupolis, where eight settlements had to be evacuated during the weekend, according to the Fire Brigade.
Greek authorities have warned citizens of a very high risk of further wildfires in several parts of the country. ■