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Plane fighting wildfires in Evia crashes
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A plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed as thousands have fled Rhodes and Corfu amid blazes ravaging the country.
The Greek Fire Brigade confirmed to The Independent that the accident happened over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning. The spokesperson said they are investigating whether there have been any casualties.
Local media has reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the plane subsequently plummeting to the ground before an explosion is seen.
This comes as 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread, while over 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday.
After the blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history, civil protection authorities warned of “extreme risk” of wildfires on the island of Crete, while around 2,500 people have already been evacuated from Corfu, which has been enduring dozens of blazes.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Monday the country was "at war" and said on Tuesday the next days would be difficult, with conditions possibly improving after Thursday.
Recommended Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires Wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes force thousands of holidaymakers to evacuate Hiker, 71, dies in Death Valley shortly after being asked by reporter why he was braving heat: ‘Why not?’ July 2023 is set to be world’s hottest month in ‘hundreds, if not thousands, of years’
Key Points Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed ‘Extreme fire risk’ for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday Up to 10,000 British tourists on Rhodes due to ‘peak holiday season' Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits
Show latest update 1690288289 Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed
A plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed as blazes ravage the country.
The Greek Fire Brigade confirmed to The Independent that the accident happened over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning. The spokesperson said they are investigating whether there have been any casualties.
Local media has reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the plane subsequently plummeting to the ground before an explosion is seen.
A plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed as blazes ravage the country
(EPT/Twitter)
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 13:31
1690291666 ‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes
Two people have been confirmed dead after a plane fighting the wildfires in Greece crashed, according to reports from the BBC.
The accident occurred over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning for several days.
Local media reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the small plane plummeting to the ground and exploding after dropping its cargo over the blaze.
Holly Evans reports:
‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes Two people have been confirmed dead after a plane fighting the wildfires in Greece crashed, according to reports from the BBC.
Martha Mchardy 25 July 2023 14:27
1690291455 Watch moment plane fighting wildfires in Evia crashes
Greece wildfires: Plane fighting blaze in Evia crashes
Martha Mchardy 25 July 2023 14:24
1690291266 Watch: Tourists lounge near pool as wildfires rage in Rhodes
Tourists lounge near pool as wildfires continue to rage in Rhodes
Martha Mchardy 25 July 2023 14:21
1690290900 British tourist tells of ‘traumatic’ escape from hotel that ‘caught alight hours later’
A British tourist has spoken of a “traumatic” escape from her hotel in Rhodes, which she was told was hours later caught alight in the wildfires spreading across Greece.
Demi Kemp, 25, of Essex, said she was having lunch at her hotel in the village of Kiotari on Saturday surrounded by falling ash, growing clouds of smoke, and a smell similar to a bonfire when her boyfriend received an evacuation alert on his phone. Shortly after, the power cut and fire alarms started going off.
“People started to panic,” Ms Kemp, a legal PA, told The Independent. “People were running everywhere. We started seeing staff crying and that’s when we thought, ‘Oh, this is bad.’ It was traumatic.”
The hotel evacuated and many walked two hours in “unbearable heat” to another hotel, she said. “There were kids screaming. People were passing out and stopping because they had cramps in their legs. Locals were bringing out hoses to spray and cool people down. I was still in my bikini and beach cover-up.”
At the hotel on Gennadi Beach, the group was given food and water. Ms Kemp said the army turned up and started transporting people, while local residents were “piling people up in cars”.
Next, she managed to get a coach to a nearby school, where people were laying on cardboard to rest and black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky.
From here, Ms Kemp rallied a group of 80 people and a coach driver offered to take them to the airport for free.
She described the airport as “frantic”, with everyone scrambling to try and get on the few, already overbooked flights. Luckily, her group of four bagged seats on a 4.30am flight on Sunday. She said, “It was the quietest flight I’ve ever been on. When we took off you could see the blaze out the window.”
They made it home at 9am. Ms Kemp said: “It was like an out-of-body experience. I remember feeling the heat and seeing the fire and thinking we were not going to make it home at one point. The weather was just getting hotter and the wind was spreading the flames.”
A British tourist has spoken of a “traumatic” escape from her hotel in Rhodes, which she was told was hours later caught alight in the wildfires spreading across Greece
(Demi Kemp)
Demi Kemp, 25, of Essex, said she was having lunch at her hotel in the village of Kiotari on Saturday when her boyfriend received an evacuation alert on his phone
(Demi Kemp)
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 14:15
1690290000 Minister reiterates warnings Greece fires are ‘wake-up call' on climate change
A UK government minister reiterated warnings that the Greece fires are a “wake-up call” on climate change as he said individual holidaymakers had their own “choice” to make about whether or not to travel.
The Earl of Courtown resisted calls for the government to change its travel advice, amid warnings it limits whether consumers can get refunds on their holidays.
He told peers the situation in Rhodes was “stabilising” and there were no plans to repatriate holidaymakers from the island as Rhodes airport was operating normally.
The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of six staff and four British Red Cross responders to the airport, he said.
He added: “Every individual has their own choice of where they go on holiday. I will be staying at home over the next six weeks”.
Kate Devlin 25 July 2023 14:00
1690289100 Travel expert Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions at virtual event
As the long summer break begins for many our expert travel team are preparing to answer your questions on how to best tackle the coming weeks.
Travel editor Helen Coffey will be hosting the discussion and she will be joined by our renowned travel correspondent Simon Calder and deputy travel editor Ben Parker.
The team will be answering all of your questions, from what to check for on your passport before you travel, to how to find a bargain last minute deal. And there are the answers on whether to stay in the UK or travel aboard? Plus, whether to find a secure package deal or whether you should track down the separate options for flights and accommodation to get the best deal?
Sign up for free here by 4pm on July 25 to watch the discussion.
Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions during exclusive event The Independent’s travel editor Helen Coffey will be hosting the discussion and she will be joined by our renowned travel correspondent Simon Calder and deputy travel editor Ben Parker as they discuss the most important travel topics, including the wildfires currently affecting Greece
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 13:45
1690288649 Body of woman found by firefighters putting out blaze at Greek home
The body of an elderly woman has been found by firefighters putting out a blaze at a Greek home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The Hellenic Fire Service, which is the national fire and rescue service in Greece, said an investation is ongoing after her body was found in a family home on Pausaniou Street, in Agios Achaias, amid a fire that damaged the house.
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 13:37
1690288200 How many Britons are in Sicily?
Because no records are available for UK arrivals to, and departures from, Sicily, the best estimates for the number of British holidaymakers are provided by looking at the average number of flights to the islands’s airports each week and assuming an average stay of 10 days.
According to the flight data specialist Cirium, in a normal peak summer week there are 64 one-way flights scheduled from UK airports to four airports in Sicily: Palermo, Catania, Comiso and Trapani. The typical seat capacity is 12,000, and at this time of year the vast majority of passengers will be British holidaymakers. The number is currently reduced because of the closure of Catania airport to UK flights because of a fire at the terminal.
The Independent has calculated that there are currently 15,000 UK travellers in Sicily, in addition to a number of longer-stay residents with property – and sometimes family – on the island.
In a recent update today, Palermo's Falcone Borsellino airport, which was evacuated and closed during the night due to flames surrounding the perimeter area of the terminal, has partially resumed operations, as of 11am today, Tuesday, 25 July.
Departure flights have been authorised, while incoming flights are being monitored due to the strong scirocco winds blowing in the area, according to local media, quoting Gesap, the company managing the airport.
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 13:30
1690287300 Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria
Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria, including soldiers trying to get the flames under control in the face of high winds and scorching summer temperatures, government ministries said on Monday.
At least 1,500 people were evacuated, the Interior Ministry said, without providing details, after the fires have been burning for several days.
Wildfires, some spread by strong winds, moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions causing 97 blazes in the north African country. The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel — in the Kabyle region east of Algiers — and Bouira, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Algiers, the Interior Ministry said.
Operations to tamp down the fires included at least 7,500 firefighters and 350 trucks on the ground as well as air support.
Algeria is no stranger to summer wildfires. At least 37 people were killed last August after wildfires blazed near Algeria's northern border with Tunisia. A year earlier, authorities said dozens were killed in blazes — including soldiers called in to help fight the fires in the mountainous Kabyle region that is dotted with villages.
Burnt trees are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Bejaia, Algeria
(REUTERS)
Burnt vehicles are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Bejaia, Algeria
(REUTERS)
Tara Cobham 25 July 2023 13:15
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1/ 1Greece fires: Plane fighting blazes crashes in Evia as thousands flee
Greece fires: Plane fighting blazes crashes in Evia as thousands flee
Some 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread
Demi Kemp
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