2023-07-23 22:20:29
On the Greek holiday island of Rhodes, around 30,000 people have been brought to safety from a forest fire that has been raging for six days. The office of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday morning that it is the largest evacuation operation that has ever taken place in Greece.
More than 2,000 people, including numerous holidaymakers, were picked up by ships from beaches in the east of the Mediterranean island on Saturday and taken to another, safer beach on the island, the Greek coast guard said. Tourists had been walking to the beaches since the evacuation alert was sounded early Saturday morning. More than 30 private vessels were involved in this evacuation operation, led by three Coast Guard vessels. In addition, dozens of buses were used for the evacuations.
Many had to leave their luggage behind
According to media reports, some of the holidaymakers who have now been evacuated had missed their flights from the island because the flames had cut off normal transport connections. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a hotspot at Rhodes Airport where tourists can easily obtain an exit permit if they no longer have their identity papers. This was reported on Sunday by the Greek state broadcaster ERT. Many people might not have had time to take their belongings with them.
“We were saved from the fire at the last moment,” said 23-year-old Paul from Bielefeld, who was vacationing in Rhodes with his partner. When they returned to their deserted hotel from the beach, the “glowing ash” had already flown around their heads, “and there was no help in sight”. “It was so hot and the smoke so thick that we couldn’t have survived another ten minutes.”
Many tourists fled the forest fires on foot. : Image: dpa
Video footage shared on Greek media and social media shows long lines of people leaving their vacation spots on foot – some carrying their suitcases, others with nothing but their clothes. Most of the people are said to have been taken to the north of the island, where some were temporarily housed in gyms and schools, on ferries and also privately with islanders.
The Greek authorities called for donations in kind on Sunday. “We have now housed 4,000 to 5,000 people in different facilities,” Thanasis Virinis, a local deputy mayor, told broadcaster Mega. Mattresses and bedclothes would be needed.
Airlines are canceling flights to the island
Germans were also affected by the evacuations. “There are currently around 20,000 German vacationers from tour operators on the island, only a small number are affected by the evacuations,” said a spokeswoman for the German Travel Association (DRV) of the dpa on Saturday evening. “Collection points are planned in the north of the island for the evacuees until the fires are extinguished. The top priority is to protect life and limb.”
According to the DRV, tour operators want to contact their customers who are planning a trip to Rhodes in the next few days. You would then be informed whether the trip could take place. The travel group TUI announced on Sunday that all flights to Rhodes were canceled up to and including Tuesday. TUI currently has around 40,000 guests on Rhodes, said the spokeswoman. “These include 7,800 who were affected by the fire and were evacuated to accommodation or hotels.” The British airline Jet2 also canceled all flights to the island for Sunday.
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