In the southeast of the holiday island of Rhodes, people continue to fight the flames. At least 3,000 volunteers have come to Gennadi and Lindos from all regions of the island, according to state radio reports.
With tears in his eyes, a resident told a local reporter, “I will die here if I have to. I love this island.” Tourists are not in danger. Many of the people who were taken to safety on Saturday have already left.
The tour operator FTI announced on Tuesday evening that it would cancel all bookings with destinations in the regions in the southeast of Rhodes affected by forest fires by Sunday. Tui canceled all flights to the popular holiday island up to and including Friday; this applies to trips to the south of Rhodes up to and including Sunday. DER Touristik canceled all trips to the south of the island up to and including Saturday.
The temperatures climb to 46 degrees
The Greek civil defense informed that it should be extremely hot today – up to 46 degrees and maybe more. “It’s an explosive cocktail. Heat, winds and fires,” said a meteorologist Tuesday night. The end of the heat will come on Thursday. Then temperatures around 35 degrees are expected.
Countless animals died, said animal protection organizations. According to initial estimates, 150 square kilometers of forest and agricultural land have been destroyed on the island of Rhodes alone, state radio reported.
The fire brigades also fought the flames on the islands of Euboea and Corfu. A fire-fighting plane crashed yesterday in Euboea. Two Greek pilots were killed, the government said. Three small villages on Corfu had to be evacuated due to heavy smoke and the approaching flames.
The EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Protection Janez Lenarcic warned on Twitter on Tuesday evening: “In the next two days, the risk of fire in the Mediterranean region is expected to remain extremely high.”
