Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, authorities say.
Clouds of smoke from a forest fire rise to the sky on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Saturday, July 22, 2023. A large blaze burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts. 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.
Package holiday companies TUI and Jet2 have canceled flights to Rhodes. Jet2 said it was canceling five flights due to leave for Rhodes on Sunday. It said it would fly the five planes to Rhodes empty to bring back customers on the island. TUI said it was canceling all its flights to the island until at least Tuesday.
Rhodes travel agent Stelios Kotiadis confirmed to the Associated Press that the evacuation was hasty. “There was panic. ... The authorities were overwhelmed,” he said. “There were 80-90 people cramming into 50-seater buses,” he said. He added that 90% of the evacuated tourists are from European countries., Matthew Lodge, said the U.K. government was sending a rapid deployment team to support British nationals on Rhodes.
In the mountainous part of Rhodes, an active front of the wildfire, firefighters have been trying to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby dense forests.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thousands of Tourists Evacuate Greek Island Rhodes Amid Fiery BlazeMore than 10,000 tourists visiting the Greek island have started evacuating via the sea as wildfires burn across the east side.
Read more »
Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces hundreds to evacuateA wildfire raged uncontrolled on the Greek island of Rhodes on Saturday, forcing hundreds of people to flee affected villages and beaches, authorities said.
Read more »
Blaze rages out of control on Greek island of Rhodes, forcing evacuations including from 2 resortsA large blaze burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations.
Read more »
2,000 people including tourists evacuated as a wildfire rages on the Greek island of RhodesA large wildfire burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for a fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations including two seaside resorts.
Read more »