Two people have died and an evacuation is under way after two fires broke out within minutes of each other on the Greek island of Salamina, located near Athens.

Fire officials said nearly 200 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames and prevent the two blazes from converging, according to Greek media reports. The first fire was reported at 14:40 local time (12:40 GMT) and spread rapidly due to high winds. The island had been under a high wildfire risk warning on Sunday.

Some 90 people have so far been evacuated by sea, a coastguard spokesman told Greek broadcaster ERT. Five patrol boats have been deployed to the area, and several private vessels have also been made available to assist with the evacuation effort.

A number of aircraft and 50 fire engines have been dispatched to the scene.

Salamina Deputy Mayor Thodoris Zannis said firefighters were working to prevent the fires from burning over a mountain on the island and merging into one major wildfire.

Salamina sits just west of Athens and has approximately 37,000 residents, many of them elderly.

Firefighters across Europe have been battling a series of wildfires this weekend, fuelled by high heat.