Fire erupts in mountains of Corfu
British holidaymakers have been stranded in Rhodes as thousands tried to flee the Greek island last night as wildfires broke out.
Terrified families abandoned their possessions and dashed to safety as a state of emergency was declared.
Becky Mulligan, who ran down a dirt track with her daughter aged five amid smoke, told the Express: "I thought I was going to die. It was like hell on earth."
As the sky turned orange, 19,000 people were evacuated - and the crisis spread to Corfu where locals in 18 areas were advised to leave as a second Greek island went up in flames, a week after fires broke out on Rhodes - 600 miles away and the largest of the Dodecanese isles.
Officials reported that the previous night, over 19,000 individuals on Rhodes were successfully relocated to safety during Greece's largest fire evacuation.
British holidaymakers have been stranded in Rhodes as thousands tried to flee the Greek island last night as wildfires broke out.
Terrified families abandoned their possessions and dashed to safety as a state of emergency was declared.
Becky Mulligan, who ran down a dirt track with her daughter aged five amid smoke, told the Express: "I thought I was going to die. It was like hell on earth."
As the sky turned orange, 19,000 people were evacuated - and the crisis spread to Corfu where locals in 18 areas were advised to leave as a second Greek island went up in flames, a week after fires broke out on Rhodes - 600 miles away and the largest of the Dodecanese isles.
Officials reported that the previous night, over 19,000 individuals on Rhodes were successfully relocated to safety during Greece's largest fire evacuation.
READ MORE Rhodes fire: Brits stranded on island slam ‘clueless’ easyJet – ‘get us home'
Mountain of fire, Kassiopi, Corfu, Greece. #corfu pic.twitter.com/PRBqA3I4xE
— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) July 23, 2023
Mountain of fire, Kassiopi, Corfu, Greece. #corfu pic.twitter.com/PRBqA3I4xE
— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) July 23, 2023
Mountain of fire, Kassiopi, Corfu, Greece. #corfu pic.twitter.com/PRBqA3I4xE
— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) July 23, 2023
Rhodes fires: EasyJet announces recovery flights from Greece as hundreds stranded
EasyJet has announced they will be running multiple repatriation flights from the Greek island of Rhodes to rescue the hundreds still stranded by the wildfires.
Thousands have been evacuated from the south and central areas of the island, but more than 400 travellers are still stranded on the island after a spate of cancelled flights and have been forced to sleep on the floors of makeshift camps, or in the local airport.
At the same time, numerous flights and package vacations bound for Rhodes were cancelled by UK airlines and holiday operators.
Sporting director Dan of Torquay, Devon, said last night: "After wading into the sea and climbing on a fishing trawler, we are away from danger.
"I don't know how they'll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys."
He told how his resort, where he was on a Tui package holiday, had "turned into a refuge for evacuated tourists and locals" and going to die. It was like hell on earth." They had to seek refuge on a beach as they waited for coaches to pick them up, which Becky described as the "most scary point".
Rhodes fires: EasyJet announces recovery flights from Greece as hundreds stranded
EasyJet has announced they will be running multiple repatriation flights from the Greek island of Rhodes to rescue the hundreds still stranded by the wildfires.
Thousands have been evacuated from the south and central areas of the island, but more than 400 travellers are still stranded on the island after a spate of cancelled flights and have been forced to sleep on the floors of makeshift camps, or in the local airport.
EasyJet has announced they will be running multiple repatriation flights from the Greek island of Rhodes to rescue the hundreds still stranded by the wildfires.
Thousands have been evacuated from the south and central areas of the island, but more than 400 travellers are still stranded on the island after a spate of cancelled flights and have been forced to sleep on the floors of makeshift camps, or in the local airport.
At the same time, numerous flights and package vacations bound for Rhodes were cancelled by UK airlines and holiday operators.
Sporting director Dan of Torquay, Devon, said last night: "After wading into the sea and climbing on a fishing trawler, we are away from danger.
"I don't know how they'll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys."
He told how his resort, where he was on a Tui package holiday, had "turned into a refuge for evacuated tourists and locals" and going to die. It was like hell on earth." They had to seek refuge on a beach as they waited for coaches to pick them up, which Becky described as the "most scary point".
At the same time, numerous flights and package vacations bound for Rhodes were cancelled by UK airlines and holiday operators.
Sporting director Dan of Torquay, Devon, said last night: "After wading into the sea and climbing on a fishing trawler, we are away from danger.
"I don't know how they'll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys."
He told how his resort, where he was on a Tui package holiday, had "turned into a refuge for evacuated tourists and locals" and going to die. It was like hell on earth." They had to seek refuge on a beach as they waited for coaches to pick them up, which Becky described as the "most scary point".
At the same time, numerous flights and package vacations bound for Rhodes were cancelled by UK airlines and holiday operators.
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Rhodes fires: ‘We just ran’ say Brit mums as wildfire surrounded their hotel [REPORT]
Jet2 cancels all flights to Rhodes as fire rips through Greek island [REVEAL]
Brits 'terrified' as wildfires continue to ravage picturesque Greek island [REPORT]
Firefighting aircrafts drop water to extinguish a wildfire in Asklipio village, on Rhodes island (Image: AP )
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Extreme temperatures have been felt across Greece and its associated islands, with some experiencing highs of 45C.
Earlier on Sunday, the Greek Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection issued warnings of “extreme fire risks” to be effective from tomorrow.
They listed seven areas in jeopardy, including Attica, Evia, Boeotia, Corinthia, Ilia, Argolis, Messinia and Rhodes. They did not mention Corfu.
Tui continued to fly customers to Rhodes as late as Saturday night, despite dozens of hotels evacuating guests due to the rapidly worsening situation.
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Speaking to the Daily Express from Rhodes airport last night, holidaymaker Ben Wright said: "We have been stuck for 18 hours as easyJet continued to delay our flight to Gatwick and provided different reasons each time, insisting delays [were due to] extenuating circumstances. On other occasions they advised there was a lack of crew. We were forced to sleep on the airport floor as easyJet did not provide us with accommodation."
A UK Government spokesperson said five staff from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and four British Red Cross responders had been sent to Rhodes as part of the Rapid Deployment Team.
Matthew Lodge, Britain's ambassador to Greece, said that the Foreign Office had sent a "rapid deployment team" to help UK tourists who have become stranded on Rhodes.
He added that the British Embassy in Athens has been working with Greek authorities, airlines and tour operators "to support UK nationals".
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