Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes as ‘devastating’ forest fires continue to ravage the country.

An equipped search and rescue has been dispatched to Greece to assist in battling a series of “catastrophic” wildfires in the country, authorities have announced.

The Qatari delegation was transported by a Qatar Emiri Airforce plane and includes officers from the International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Lekhwiya Force, by order of Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The team will aid in ongoing search and rescue operations in the European nation as fires continue to spread across the country.

For the past week, uncontrolled wildfires have swept through several parts of Greece in what is considered the country’s “worst heatwave in more than 30 years,” with temperatures exceeding 40C (104F).

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed as the inferno tore through thousands of acres of forestland, leaving hundreds of animals dead in its path. Residents have described “losing entire villages to flames”.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the island via ferries and fishermen’s boats, with “apocalyptic” scenes emerging on social media.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece had suffered a “nightmarish summer,” adding that the government’s priority “has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives.” He added that the government plans to reimburse those affected by the fires and would designate the burned land as areas for reforestation.

Qatar’s team will join over 700 firefighters from Greece, Cyprus and France in fighting