From BZ/dpa
Fear of death in the holiday paradise.
The forest fires that have been raging on Rhodes for three days got out of control yesterday afternoon. Thousands of vacationers were brought to safety. The flames reached the coast south of the popular archaeological site of Lindos in the afternoon. There are dozens of hotels there that are fully booked.
Vacationers are also evacuated on the loading area of this truck Photo: AFP stringer / Eurokinissi
Greek state radio reported in the evening that 8,000 people had left the south of the island, which is popular with tourists. The number could be even higher, it said. Two villages and several hotels were evacuated.
Force six winds blow in the Rhodes region. “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,” said Konstantinos Traraslias, Deputy Mayor of Rhodes. Due to the change in wind direction, the fire changed its direction towards the coast and surprised the fire brigade.
Helicopters dump seawater over the burning forests to douse the flames Photo: REUTERS/Lefteris Damianidis
2000 people were brought to safety by boats from the coasts south of Lindos because escape routes were cut off. Most of them were tourists. Fishermen and private individuals also took people with their boats. Hundreds of Rhodes residents volunteered to help the tourists. Eight people were taken to the hospital with respiratory problems.
Clouds of smoke over the holiday paradise. The beach and water slides are deserted Photo: AP
There is no end in sight to the heat wave across Greece. Today, values of up to 45 degrees Celsius are expected in the south of the country. Most of the Aegean islands also have temperatures above 38 degrees.
One of the leading Greek meteorologists, Konstantinos Lagouvardos, estimated on state television that this heat wave could be the longest since measurements have been taken in Greece.