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ATHENS: Tens of thousands of people fled wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes on Sunday as terrified tourists scrambled to get home.
There were reports of wildfires breaking out on Corfu, another popular Greek island, with land and sea evacuations underway.
On Rhodes, firefighters tackled blazes that erupted in peak tourism season, sparking the country’s largest-ever wildfire evacuation and leaving flights and holidays cancelled.
Rhodes is one of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations, particularly with British, German and French tourists. In the rush to leave, some visitors had to abandon their belongings.
Thousands of tourists and residents took refuge in schools and shelters, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages during what Greece said was its biggest safe transport of residents and tourists in emergency conditions.
Some 19,000 people were moved from homes and hotels overnight as fires burning since Wednesday gathered pace, tearing through forests until the flames reached coastal resorts on the south-eastern coast.
Some holidaymakers said they walked for miles in scorching heat to reach safety. The fires left trees black and skeletal. Dead animals lay in the road near burnt-out cars.
Tour operators Jet2, TUI and Correndon cancelled flights leaving for Rhodes, which lies southeast of mainland Greece and is famous for its beaches and historic sites.
TUI said its teams were doing everything they could to support customers and had sent in additional staff in what it called “a difficult and evolving situation.”
The Greek transport ministry said TUI and Jet2, which handle the bulk of tourism to Rhodes, planned 14 scheduled flights from Rhodes airport, transferring about 2,700 passengers.
Temperatures over the past week have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many parts of Greece.
In addition to Rhodes, emergency services were dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens and Aigio, southwest of Athens, and on the island of Corfu where authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of a number of small settlements.
The fire on Corfu, an island which lies west of Greece, was burning on a large front. Boats in the area had been dispatched to evacuate residents by sea, a government official said.
A fire brigade official said the wildfires on Rhodes have affected 10% of hotels in the central and southeast parts of the island. The north and western parts were not affected.
Coastguard vessels and private boats carried more than 3,000 tourists from beaches on Saturday. Many people fled hotels when huge flames reached the seaside villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos.
Crowds gathered in streets under a red sky while smoke hung over deserted shorelines. In Lindos, famed for an acropolis on a massive rock within medieval walls, a blaze charred the hillside and buildings.
Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes, said between 4,000 and 5,000 people were in temporary accommodation. Evacuees were taken to conference centres and school buildings, where they were given food, water and medical assistance, authorities said.
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