Thousands of residents and tourists on the Greek island of Rhodes have been forced to evacuate as wildfires continue to spread uncontrollably throughout Greece. The weekend saw about 30,000 people fleeing the flames in what has become the largest wildfire evacuation in the country’s history. The Ionian island of Corfu also witnessed almost 2,500 evacuations on Monday, while Athens’ holiday villages had to evacuate thousands of children the previous week. The wildfires coincide with severe heatwaves sweeping across Europe, Asia, and North America, with record-breaking temperatures recorded in France, the US, and Spain. The ongoing heatwave, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius, has exacerbated the fire situation in Greece, causing tens of thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation to be destroyed. On Rhodes, the flames have been raging for a week, prompting authorities to predict several more days of firefighting efforts. More than 260 firefighters, backed by 18 aircraft, have been battling the fires, with countries like Croatia, France, Slovakia, and Turkey providing equipment and additional firefighters to aid in the efforts. The situation has left a significant portion of the island without electricity as power was shut down in the south for safety reasons. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has likened the firefighting effort to being “at war,” warning the nation of “another three difficult days ahead.” The crisis has also impacted tourists, who had to flee hotels and resorts, leaving behind their belongings to seek refuge in schools and gyms. The Greek foreign ministry and embassies are assisting tourists who lost travel documents during the evacuation. Travel companies have ceased tourist flights to Rhodes and are helping to repatriate foreign nationals. The catastrophic fires in Greece are drawing attention to the impact of climate change on extreme weather events worldwide, and residents are pleading for support in combatting the devastating blazes and restoring the natural environment.
Sources By Agencies
