Wildfire tragedy as man is run over and killed by his own bulldozer

A 65-year-old man was run over and killed by his own bulldozer he was operating while fighting wildfires in Portugal.

He was working for a company in Mirandela, in the north of the country, when he fell from his machine and was run over as he tried to escape fast-moving flames, local officials said.

The country has been battling blazes since late July, with the north and centre hardest hit.

More than 216,000 hectares have already gone up in smoke this summer, wiping out 2.3 per cent of Portugal's land.

Two firefighters have died and more than 130 people have been injured, many of them emergency workers, according to Portuguese media.