The plane landed at Vienna Airport in Schwechat (Bruck an der Leitha district) at 16:08. Most are happy to escape the devastating fires and be home again. Because severe forest fires have been raging in the Greek holiday paradise of Rhodes for days now.
“We slept outdoors by the pool, we had no luggage with us, we lost everything,” says Zoran Kostic. At Rhodes airport, thousands of adults and children would still be lying on the ground waiting for the return flight, says Johannes Schabernack, “waiting three or four days for the plane to leave, so what happened there was an absolute disaster”.
“It’s all burned”
The local authority speaks of the biggest evacuation operation that has ever taken place in Greece. Villages were evacuated and around 19,000 people were evacuated from their homes and hotels. Many spent Sunday night in emergency shelters such as schools and sports centres. Others had to sleep outside. “It’s all burnt, it smells like smoke all the time,” says Daniela Kostic.
Rhodes tourists return
According to the police, the severe forest fires on the island of Rhodes are currently requiring the biggest evacuation operation ever carried out in Greece. 20,000 people have already been evacuated from villages and hotels. Tour groups like TUI will initially stop traveling to the island until Tuesday. The first Austrian tourists landed at Vienna airport on Sunday afternoon.
In the arrivals hall, relatives were waiting for returnees and other planes from Rhodes in the afternoon. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, less than 15 people are currently in regions with an acute risk of fire and are waiting for an evacuation, it said in the afternoon. In addition, embassy and honorary consulate officials are in contact with around 70 victims who have already been rescued from the acute fire areas.
The situation in Rhodes and Greece as a whole is being watched with particular attention, and country information is constantly updated on the go.apa.at website. Affected persons can contact the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Embassy in Athens at any time.
Body and life as “top priority”
A spokesman for the fire department told Skai that the evacuees had been given food and water and were receiving medical care. Tour operators are therefore working closely with local authorities and working hard to find solutions. Collection points are planned in the north of the island for affected vacationers until the fires are extinguished. “The top priority is the protection of life and limb,” he said. Vacationers wishing to travel to Rhodes in the next few days would be contacted by their tour operators and informed of the possibility of making the trip.
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Vacation cancellation in case of heat and fire
Many people fled hotels as the fire front hit the coastal villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos. Dramatic scenes ensued on the island: “We were walking down the road at 2am and the fire caught us,” one tourist told Sky News, adding: “I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
Travel agency cancels flights
The fire brigade battled the flames in Rhodes on Sunday with support from firefighting planes and helicopters on three fronts. She set up firebreaks. Travel group TUI – currently has around 39,000 guests in Rhodes – has announced that all flights to the island have been canceled until Tuesday inclusive. “Customers currently in Rhodes will return on their scheduled flight home,” it said in a statement.
APA/dpa/Marcel Kusch Travel group TUI announced on Sunday that all flights to the island have been canceled until Tuesday inclusive
Coast Guard vessels and dozens of private boats evacuated more than 2,000 tourists from the beaches on Saturday. Strong winds had already fanned the fire in the southeast part of the island. Since the fire broke out on Tuesday, large areas of forest and several buildings have been engulfed in flames. Greek civil defense also warned again on Sunday of a very high risk of forest fires in almost half of the country due to the ongoing heatwave. Temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius were expected there.
unusual heat wave
Fires are common in Greece, but hotter, drier and windier summers have led to an increase in fires in recent years. A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) consultant said climate change would make heat waves more frequent.
In addition to Rhodes, the five highest alert level also applies to central Greece, the west and north-east of the Peloponnese peninsula, the greater Athens area and the island of Euboea. A strong heat wave with temperatures above 40 degrees controlled the country for days. Even before that, it was hot and dry for a long time.