2023-07-22 20:23:00
More than 2,000 people were evacuated this Saturday (22) by boats from the touristic Greek island of Rhodes due to a fire that has been out of control for five days.
Three coast guard ships accompanied more than 30 private vessels in the evacuation operation, while a Greek navy ship headed to the area.
People were evacuated from the beaches of Kiotari and Lardos, in the east of this Mediterranean island very popular with tourists, according to the coast guards.
From the moment the evacuation alert sounded in the early afternoon, tourists were seen pulling suitcases and heading to the beach, some with strollers with small children.
According to local authorities, around 30,000 people have already been evacuated from various areas of the island by various means.
Five helicopters and 173 firefighters are fighting the fire, which started on a mountain in the center of the island, said deputy fire director Yannis Artapoios.
Three hotels in the Kiotari area were damaged by the flames. At two other hotels, tourists were evacuated as a precautionary measure in thirty buses.
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