Greek-bound repatriation flights organized as wildfires compel tourists to evacuate

RHODES, Greece (Reuters) – Wildfires continue to rage across Greece, resulting in the evacuation of a beach on the island of Corfu and substantial crowds at Rhodes airport as thousands of tourists fled hotels and resorts over the weekend.

The fires, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of 19,000 people from Rhodes as the blaze spread towards coastal resorts on the island’s southeastern coast.

Rhodes and Corfu are highly popular tourist destinations, particularly among visitors from Britain and Germany.

“We are now in the seventh day of the fire, and it remains uncontrolled,” said Rhodes Deputy Mayor Konstantinos Taraslias in an interview with state broadcaster ERT.

Tourists spent the night at the airport, waiting for repatriation flights. John Hope, a tourist from Manchester, England, described the struggle on the beach due to the smoke.

Jet2, TUI, and Corendon have cancelled flights departing for Rhodes, while easyJet has announced two additional repatriation flights from Rhodes to London’s Gatwick airport, in addition to the nine flights already operating between the two locations.

Ryanair has stated that its flights to and from Rhodes are operating as scheduled, with Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan assuring customers that the airline will not leave them behind and will continue to operate flights to facilitate their return.

Evacuations by sea have begun on Corfu, with approximately 59 individuals evacuated from a beach on Sunday. Footage from the island shows the skyline engulfed in flames from fires in a mountainous region.

On Rhodes, some holidaymakers have reported walking for miles in scorching heat to reach safety. The fires have left charred trees, and dead animals can be seen on the roads near burnt-out cars.

Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece during the summer months, but climate change has resulted in more frequent and intense heatwaves across southern Europe.

Temperatures in various parts of the country have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past week, with forecasts predicting these extreme temperatures to persist for several more days.

Emergency services are also dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens.

Additional reporting by Karolina Tagaris in Athens, Michele Kambas in Nicosia, and Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Janet Lawrence.