New satellite photos have revealed the horrifying devastation wreaked by wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes.
The blazes have raged for a week, prompting Greece’s largest ever disaster evacuation at the height of holiday season.
More than 19,000 people have been rescued from the island so far. But as the first British nationals began to arrive home on Sunday, thousands more remained stranded at Rhodes International Airport waiting for flights to leave.
There are further reports of Brits being forced to wade into the sea to escape the fires, with others forced to sleep on the beach as anger mounts over the ‘inadequate’ response to the chaos.
The UK government has said it is ‘actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes’ and that it remains in close contact with local authorities.
A Rapid Deployment team, including members of the British Red Cross, has also been deployed by the Foreign Office to assist British holidaymakers at the airport.
However, airlines TUI and Jet2 have cancelled flights to the island until at least Wednesday, with easyJet announcing two repatriation flights to be sent tomorrow and a third on Thursday.
Conor Cullen, 45, told MailOnline he and his wife Danielle, 41, and their two daughters, have been ‘left to fend for themselves’. The family were evacuated from their hotel in Kiotari at 4pm on Sunday and taken to Gennadi.
Danielle said: ‘When you’re watching a movie and you just think that’s never going to happen. Last night showed these things happen and we really were fighting for our lives trying to get on the boat.’
More than 10,000 Brits currently remain stranded in Greece, as high-speed winds fan the flames amid soaring temperatures approaching 40C.
Greek fire service spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis said 64 new fires have broken out around the country today alone, bringing the total number to 82.
He said: ‘Difficult times are ahead of us. Conditions remain extreme. We appeal to citizens who are evacuating settlements.
‘For your own safety, in case you wish to return to your place of residence or accommodation, you must be informed by the competent authorities.’
Locals and holidaymakers aren’t the only ones to have been affected by the disaster either.
With almost 7,400 acres of forest torched in the past week, animal charities today warned time is swiftly running out to rescue wildlife, pets and livestock from the infernos.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/ajICeMR
0 Comments