Tourists crowded the airport in Greece trying to find flights home
One Fire The sixday disaster on the Greek island of Rhodes led to the “largest evacuation operation ever carried out”. Greece“. More than 30,000 people have already left the place and hundreds of tourists were waiting at Rhodes International Airport this Sunday 23rd in search of flights home. However, several companies have suspended their flights to the island. The fire spread across the southeast of Rhodes, a Mediterranean island of 100,000 people located in the Dodecanese archipelago. Supported by around 50 trucks, 10 Canadair planes and eight helicopters, more than 250 firefighters continued to battle the blaze fanned by 30 mph winds. According to the fire department, 46 new fires were reported within 24 hours. On Saturday 22nd, around 30,000 people had to evacuate their homes and hotels due to the spread of the outbreaks. Evacuated tourists stayed in gyms, schools or conference centers. “This is the largest evacuation ever carried out in Greece (…). It went well. “Everyone, especially the tourists, followed our instructions,” said police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou.
A total of 12 towns were evacuated, including Lindos, one of the island’s main tourist destinations. Flames swept across the town of Laerma on Saturday night, burning down several houses and a church. The fire also spread to Kiotari and Gennadi Lardos. Paul F., a 23yearold German, said he and his boyfriend were sleeping on the beach when they woke up to find it deserted. They ran to the hotel and packed their bags while wet towels were handed out at reception so guests could protect themselves from the smoke. “It was so hot and the smoke was so thick that we couldn’t last more than 10 minutes,” he said. They left town by bus. According to the authorities, it will take several more days for the flames to be under control, which will be exacerbated by strong winds. Since the beginning of summer, large parts of the northern hemisphere have been affected by extreme temperatures. According to expert forecasts, July could be the hottest month on record.
*With information from AFP.