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Greek authorities have issued an evacuation order for parts of Corfu after wildfires forced thousands of people to flee their hotels on the island of Rhodes.
Those in Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia and Sinies were told to evacuate to Kasiopi due to fires on Corfu.
The order came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes as wildfires continue to tear through the Greek holiday destination for a sixth consecutive day.
The Jet2 planes were scheduled to depart from the East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted airports full of tourists bound for the Greek island. But the planes left emply and will instead be used to evacuate holidaymakers fleeing the blaze.
Thousands of tourists were forced to flee their hotels and images captured their dramatic evacuation off of beaches by a fleet of private boats while the fires raged in the background.
Becky Mulligan, a 29-year-old training manager from Leicester, was staying at the Princess Sun Hotel in the Kiotari resort on Rhodes’s southeast coast when she, her daughter, 5 and sister, 20 say they were forced to flee.
“I thought I was going to die. It was like hell on earth,” she told The Independent.
Hundreds of EU fire fighters are supporting the Greek effort
There are substantial reinforcements from the European Union supporting Greece’s fire-fighting efforts, including hundreds of firefighters.
“Over 450 firefighters and seven airplanes from the EU have been operating in Greece as fires sprout across the country,” EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic tweeted early Sunday afternoon.
Overnight, firefighters are continuing to tackle 82 wildfires currently raging across the country.
Smoke rises from a wildfire on the island of Rhodes on Sunday
Several injuries reported on Rhodes on Sunday
Several injuries have been reported among those fleeing the forest fire on Rhodes on Sunday.
Six people were briefly treated at a hospital for respiratory problems, but have since been released.
Meanwhile, a person who fell and broke a leg during a hotel evacuation and a pregnant woman remained hospitalized, the latter in good condition, authorities said.
A man carries a child as they leave an area where a forest fire burns on the island of Rhodes
ICYMI: Tourists describe scenes in Rhodes as “hell on earth”
A British tourist has described the scenes in Rhodes as “hell on earth” as wildfires continued to tear through the Greek holiday destination for a sixth consecutive day on Sunday.
Becky Mulligan, a 29-year-old training manager from Leicester, was staying at the Princess Sun Hotel in the Kiotari resort on Rhodes’s southeast coast when she, her daughter, 5 and sister, 20 say they were forced to flee.
“Smoke started coming up against the window of the hotel so we decided to run,” she told The Independent. “There were helicopters hovering above making the whole building shake.
“We ended up legging it down a dirt track as the smoke came up around our legs. I thought I was going to die. It was like hell on earth”.
Clouds of smoke from a forest fire rise to the sky on the island of Rhodes
Slight temperature respite expected on Monday in Greece
The weather remained hot in Greece on Sunday, with a total of 180 locations experiencing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) and above.
A relative respite from the heat is expected on Monday, with highs of 38 C (100 F) forecast, said the country’s Meteorological Service on Sunday evening.
Tuesday is expected to heat up once again - before things signficantly cool on Thursday, with temperatures expected in the low- to mid-30s Celsius.
Children play in a fountain in Athens during hot weather over the weekend
Efforts to tackle 82 fires impacted by lack of helicopters at night
Firefighters are struggling through Sunday night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, reports AP.
But ongoing efforts are without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.
The most serious fire in Greece remains on the island of Rhodes, where some 19,000 people have now been evacuated.
Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated by land and 3,000 by sea from 12 villages and several hotels.
A firefighting helicopter flies over a beach during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes
64 fires broke out across Greece on Sunday
Some 64 wildfires broke out aross Greece on Sunday, with the most serious reported on Evia, Greece’s second- largest island, where authorities have told residents of four southern villages to evacuate.
Central Greece Vice Governor Giorgos Kelaiditis, who was near one of the villages, told state agency ANA-MPA that the situation is difficult: “The fire may be 2 kilometers away, but the wind is strong, the growth is low, the smoke thick and the air is hard to breathe,” he said. Northern Evia was devastated by wildfires in August 2021. Other fires requiring evacuations broke out on the northeast side of the island of Corfu, as well as in the northern Peloponnese, near the town of Aigio.
A fire that broke out west of the important archaeological site of Epidaurus has now been partly contained, the Fire Service said.
A view of a wildfire burning on the Pantokratoras mountain on Corfu on Sunday
Ursula von der Leyen has called the Greek PM to offer her support
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to offer her support.
In a statement on Twitter, von der Leyen said: “I called @KMitsotakis to express our full support for Greece, which is confronted with devastating forest fires and a heavy heat wave due to climate change.
“Greece is handling this difficult situation with professionalism, putting emphasis on safely evacuating thousands of tourists, and can always count on European solidarity.”
She added that “EU firefighters are already on the ground”.
2.5 million tourists visited Rhodes last year, with July and August peak season
The scale of the rescue operation ongoing in Rhodes is the result of the island becoming an ever more popular holiday destination in the Mediterranean.
More thsan 2.5 million people visited the island in 2022, up from 1.4 million the previous year, and surpassing the 2.3 million that visited during the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
With a population of about 125,000 people, Rhodes has grown to become one of the country’s most popular islands for tourists, known for its sun-drenched beaches and historic sites.
The old medieval town of Rhodes is home to a citadel, one of the finest examples of Gothic defensive architecture, and a well-preserved castle, the Palace of the Grand Master. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the southeast of the island - near where the current forest fires are burning - the small fishing village of Lindos attracts tourists with its hilltop medieval fortress and ancient acropolis.
A burnt hotel is seen during a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
Pictured: Tourists wait to be evacuated from Rhodes airport
Here are the latest pictures of tourists waiting for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes.
Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday.
Pope Francis calls on leaders to “protect our common home” following global heatwaves
Pope Francis has called on leaders to “protect our common home”, as he lamented the “extreme climatic events” currently onging around the world.
As well as the devastating fires in Rhodes, countries including Italy, Spain and the US have been hit by searing heatwaves in recent days.
“Many countries are experiencing extreme climatic events”, said the pope.
“I reiterate my appeal to the leaders of Nations, that something more tangible be done to limit polluting emissions: it is an urgent challenge and affects everyone. Let us protect our common home!”
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL3Job2Rlcy13aWxkZmlyZXMtZ3JlZWNlLTIwMjMtbWFwLWxhdGVzdC1iMjM4MDQ0MS5odG1s0gEA?oc=5
2023-07-24 02:20:40Z
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