Greek firefighters battled blazes for a second day in the eastern part of the island of Rhodes, a popular tourist destination, as high winds hamper the effort.
(Bloomberg) — Greek firefighters battled blazes for a second day in the eastern part of the island of Rhodes, a popular tourist destination, as high winds hamper the effort.
Some 19,000 people, including local residents, were evacuated from homes and hotels in settlements threatened by wildfires overnight, a fire department spokesman said Sunday.
The Greek Coast Guard led efforts to evacuate tourists and locals from beaches in the Kiotari and Lardos areas after a wildfire broke out Saturday on higher ground in the region. About 3,000 people were evacuated by sea and 16,000 by land from the affected areas.
“For the last few days, beachgoers have been watching as firefighter planes make water landings to pick up supplies,” said Bloomberg News eyewitness Sarah Muller, who was evacuated from her hotel. “It’s been an eerie backdrop to people swimming or doing water sports not far off in the distance.”
Tour operators have given an order for their charter planes to arrive on the island empty so they can ensure repatriation of visitors who wish to leave, the state-run Athens News Agency reported. The Greek Foreign Ministry said it has set up a special operation at Rhodes airport for the quick processing of travel documents.
Travel companies TUI and Jet2 are halting flights to Rhodes for now, the BBC reported.
Hotel ballrooms and lobbies have been set up as makeshift shelters, with some evacuees arriving still in their bathing suits.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry said its crisis-management unit has activated special telephone numbers that foreign visitors can call to facilitate their evacuation.
Rhodes is particularly popular with British visitors, who accounted for nearly a quarter of all international air arrivals in June, according to data from Rhodes Airport. Germans and Poles were the second and third-largest groups to arrive by air last month.
Police in Rhodes were forced to introduce traffic diversions with many highways closed to ensure access to Rhodes International Airport in the north of the island.
Civil protection authorities have warned of a very high risk of wildfires again on Sunday throughout Greece, as temperatures are expected to hit 45C (113F) in some areas.
–With assistance from Sarah Muller.
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