Authorities in France say a huge wildfire in the southern part of the country has left at least one person dead and three others missing.

The fire erupted in the Aude region on Tuesday. More than 16,000 hectares had reportedly burned as of early Wednesday evening.

About 500 firefighting vehicles are working to contain the blaze, but it continues to spread.

Footage released by Reuters news agency shows aircraft spraying water as smoke covers the mountains.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou toured the scene on Wednesday. He described the disaster as being on an "unprecedented scale."

He suggested it is linked to drought caused by climate change. France has had a number of wildfires this year. Last month, a huge blaze on the outskirts of the southern city of Marseilles left 300 people injured.

nhk