Firefighters struggle to tame Sardinian wildfire as blaze rips through the island

Firefighting planes sent by the European Union tried to tame the raging blaze still burning near a residential area in Oristano, Sardinia.

The wildfires raging across the region have forced the evacuations of 1,500 people on the island. An estimated 20,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed.

President of the Sardinia region Christian Solinas called the wildfires 'an unprecedented disaster'.

Many homes and businesses have been damaged, as efforts to put out the blaze have been hampered by strong winds.

Regional authorities have declared a 'state of calamity and called on the government for 'immediate economic support'.