Forest fires on Greek islands: you need to know this
– Forest fires have been raging on Rhodes since before the seventh day in a row. An immediate improvement is not expected, because the wind will increase even further.
– 19,000 people were already evacuated. Sun hundreds of Belgians would be on vacation. Travel organizer TUI evacuated there Saturday seventy and Sunweb Ninety. Corendon evacuated some 200 travelers. These were mainly Dutch, but also Belgians.
– State Department has it travel advice for Greece adjusted and advises travelers, among other things, to “closely follow the instructions of the local authorities” and to take into account possible new fires due to the persistent heat.
– TUI has decided “for safety reasons” all travel until tomorrow, Tuesday 25 July. However, returning to Belgium early is not an option for most travelers, says TUI. Because it is high season, there is not much space on the return flights. Sunweb also cancels all flights to the island until Monday. Corendon will keep all flights to Rhodes on the ground until Tuesday.
– On the Greek islands Corfu and Evia fire also broke out on Sunday. In Corfu, the authorities have people in 17 places requested on the island to get to safety for the advancing forest fire on the island. According to local emergency services, Sundays are on Evia five villages evacuated.
– Also in Central Greecethe area around the capital Athens and there is a high risk fire hazard.
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Can stranded travelers in Rhodes expect reimbursement?
There is currently no clear answer to that question, says Julie Colpaert in VTM News on Sunday. Tour operators who sell packages to their customers are obliged to help them, says Testaan. If those customers are abandoned and have to find their own accommodation, for example, those costs must also be reimbursed, according to Testaankoop. Then customers must keep track of their payment receipts.
However, the tour operators themselves talk about “force majeure”. They do not confirm that costs will be reimbursed in any case. “But it is in any case a good idea to keep track of invoices and receipts,” says Colpaert.