2023-07-22 17:13:27
A moment ago they were lying lazily in the sun, playing in the sand, splashing in the water, relaxing. The next moment – flames, smoke, panic!
Because of the dramatic forest fire on the south side of the Greek island of Rhodes, hundreds of tourists had to be rushed out of their hotels and guesthouses and taken to safety. Some of the vacationers managed to leave the island in boats with the help of the Coast Guard, others grabbed their luggage and ran out of the heat hell on foot in temperatures of 48 degrees.
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Forest fires also broke out in the area around the Greek capital Athens, most of which the fire brigade was able to bring under control
Photo: SPYROS BAKALIS/AFP
“It is the most difficult fire we have to deal with,” said a spokesman for the Greek fire brigade on Saturday. Apparently, the smoke from the forest fire near the village of Laerma was so strong that it darkened the sky over Rhodes.
The green lung of Rhodes is burning
Photo: EUROKINISSI/AFP
As reported by state radio, hotels on the Kiotari coast, which is around 55 kilometers south of the city of Rhodes, are particularly affected. The forest fires that had been raging for three days finally got out of control on Saturday afternoon due to the massive winds (wind force six).
Pebble beach and clouds of smoke in the sky
Foto: uncredited/AP
“The smoke is so heavy it’s hard to breathe. People will be taken to the small town of Gennadi, from where they will be accommodated in other hotels,” Konstantinos Traraslias, deputy mayor of Rhodes, told Athens news channel Skai.
Videos on social media show people en masse walking to safety
Photo: Twitter/volcaholic1
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Temperatures in the north of Greece were also around 40 degrees on Saturday. Even most of the Aegean islands have temperatures above 38 degrees. One of the leading Greek meteorologists, Konstantinos Lagouvardos, estimated on state television that “if things continue like this”, this heat wave could become the longest since measurements have been taken in Greece.
A huge plume of smoke drifts over the Greek island of Rhodes. Hundreds of vacationers were evacuated
Photo: Christophe Gateau/dpa
In July 1987, a similar heat wave in Greece killed an estimated 1,300 people.
For the firefighters, who have been in continuous use for the past few days, there are still extremely strenuous days ahead. Because even if the emergency services have brought the fires in the Athens area and on the Peloponnese peninsula under control, they would flare up again and again because everything had dried up.
Rescuers on the go: near Aláerma, the firefighters are fighting relentlessly against the flames – and the strong winds
Foto: HAZZ SLOVAK FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES/via REUTERS
International support for Greece
Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters from Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia and Malta have arrived in Greece to reinforce the fire brigade and are fighting the flames. France, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Jordan are taking part in the extinguishing work with firefighting planes and helicopters, the Greek civil defense announced.
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