Wildfires in Portugal have left 29 people injured as thousands of firefighters and dozens of aircraft battle the blazes, writes The Guardian.

Authorities said 12 firefighters and 17 civilians required medical treatment for minor injuries, as reported by the Portuguese state broadcaster RTP and local media.

By Sunday afternoon, Portugal’s civil protection agency said more than 3,000 firefighters were tackling active blazes.

The country is enduring a heatwave that is due to worsen, with temperatures expected to reach up to 43C on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the EU activated its firefighting air fleet assistance programme, which allows member states to share resources to help Portugal. The Portuguese government said it had deployed 60 aircraft to support fire crews. In 2017, out-of-control wildfires killed more than 100 people.