The fires on the tourist island of Rhodes have forced rescuers to carry out “the largest evacuation operation ever undertaken in Greece”, according to a police spokesman.
“This is the largest evacuation operation ever carried out in Greece (…). Everything went well. All people, especially tourists, followed our instructions,” Constantina Dimoglidu explained.
However, this Sunday tour operator TUI announced the suspension of all passenger flights to the island of Rhodes due to fires, a measure that is in effect until Tuesday.
“Until Tuesday, the German group will not operate any new tourist flights to the island,” spokeswoman Linda Yonchik told AFP, adding that empty flights continue to take out thousands of tourists who are still on the island and affected by the fires.
This Saturday, about 30,000 people were forced to leave their homes or hotels where they were staying after a massive fire devastated the eastern part of the tourist island.
About 19,000 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure, of which 16,000 by land and 3,000 by sea, according to police figures quoted by the ANA news agency.
In total, a dozen places had to be evacuated, including Lindos, one of the island’s main tourist attractions, with the Acropolis rising above the hilltop.
Cédric Guissé, a Belgian tourist, told RTBF radio that he had to leave his hotel on foot after receiving warning messages on his mobile phone.
The hotel “didn’t even know about the situation,” he said, adding that when they escaped, people took only identification documents, water and something to cover their heads and faces.
About 30,000 people who were forced to leave their homes or hotels were placed in gyms, schools or convention centers where they spent the night.
Panagiotis Dimelis, the local mayor of the village of Archangelos, spoke to the Greek television channel Skai TV about the “unprecedented situation”, while authorities indicated that the fight against the fire would continue for several more days.
Firefighters spokesman Vassilis Vatrakoyannis has already warned that the winds that fuel the fire should “intensify” between 12:00 and 17:00 local time (3:00 pm in Lisbon), and the National Meteorological Observatory has warned that temperatures above 44.ºC will be recorded in Greece this Sunday, “probably” experiencing the longest heat wave in its history.
The island of Rhodes, with a population of over 100,000, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece and has been engulfed in fires for six days. Last year, the island received about 2.5 million tourists.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a crisis unit in Athens to facilitate the repatriation of foreign tourists.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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