Greece, evacuation from Rhodes Island, most massive by fires in the country

About 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as fires continue for the sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said Sunday.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was the largest <x0evation from fires in the country”.

Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated from land and 3,000 from the sea from 12 villages and several hotels. Six people were treated briefly in a hospital for breathing problems.

A person who fell and broke his leg during the evacuation of a hotel and a pregnant woman was hospitalized. Authorities said the woman was in good condition.

The tourist agencies TTUI and Jet2 canceled flights to Rhodes. Jet2 said he was canceling five regular flights to the island on Sunday, but would send planes to Rhodes to evacuate his clients.
TAI said he was canceling all flights to the island by Tuesday at least. An agent from a tourist company in Rhodes, Stelios Kotiadis, confirmed to the Associated Press that evacuation was being done in haste.

There was panic. ... Authorities were overloaded,” he said. However, he added, abandoned hotels “are in much better condition than reported in social media. ... they will be ready to reopen very soon if Civil Protection opens the green light. ”

Mr. Kotiadis said he and other travel agents sent buses southeast of the island to take tourists evacuated. He added that 90% of evacuated tourists are from European countries.

British Ambassador to Greece Matthew Lodge said the United Kingdom government was sending a fast team to serve British citizens in Rhodes.

The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was sending personnel to Rhodes International Airport to help foreign tourists who have lost travel documents.

Fire Brigade spokesman Yannis Artopios said that by Sunday afternoon, 266 firefighters and 49 fire vehicles were working on the ground, along with hundreds of volunteers.

Ten fire aircraft, including two from France, two from Turkey and one from Croatia, as well as eight helicopters are operating in the area. The European Union has sent considerable reinforcements.

“Mbi 450 firefighters and seven planes from the EU have been deployed in Greece as fires continue to spread throughout the country”, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Assistance and Crisis Management Janez Lenzic said on Twitter Sunday.

In the mountainous part of Rhodes, an active front of fires, firefighters have tried to stop the spread of flames in dense forests nearby.

The temperatures in Greece continued to be high Sunday. By noon, temperatures had reached 38 degrees Celsius.

Some of the evacuees, including tourists, are taking refuge in other hotels, gyms and a conference centre. A shipping company has offered one of its ships for shelter. The travel agent, Kotiadis, told the Associated Press agency that three ships were being used.

Fires broke out in other parts of the country on Sunday. The worst situation was on Evia, Greece's second largest island, where authorities told residents of four southern villages to evacuate to the town of Karystos, west of the area where the fire was spreading.

Central Greece Deputy Governor Giorgos Kelaiditis, who was close to one of the villages, told state agency ANA-MPA that the situation is difficult:

The fire may be two kilometers away, but the wind is strong, thick smoke and is difficult for breathing,” he said.

In addition to Rhodes and Evia, authorities declared a large part of Greek territory, such as the highest-risk area by fires. Another part of the country was declared very endangered by fires. / VOA