Hundreds of people were forced to flee affected villages and beaches on the Greek island of Rhodes due to a wildfire that has been raging for five days, according to authorities.
Coastguard vessels and over 30 private boats have evacuated at least 2,000 people, including tourists, from beaches near Kiotari and Lardos in the southeastern part of the island, as confirmed by coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou in an interview with Skai television.
An ongoing operation is in place to evacuate approximately 600 people from beaches in Kiotari and Gennadi towards Plimmiri.
Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis stated that authorities have also urged around 1,000 people to leave the villages of Pefki, Lindos, and Kalathos as the flames approached.
The evacuated individuals are being accommodated at an indoor stadium and hotels on the island, as reported by Taraslias. The coastguard mentioned that three passenger ferries will also provide shelter for tourists during the night.
The fire, which started in a mountainous area on Tuesday, has burned through large sections of dense forest. On Saturday, it caused damage to at least three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari, according to the Athens News Agency.
Civil protection authorities have issued a warning about a very high risk of wildfires on Rhodes and other areas in Greece on Sunday, as temperatures are expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) during an ongoing heatwave.
Senior government officials will travel to Rhodes to provide assistance in the situation. The Greek foreign ministry has activated its crisis management unit to offer support to foreigners who wish to leave the country, as announced on Saturday.
Greece frequently experiences fires, but the combination of hotter, drier, and windier summers has turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years. Meteorologists have forecasted that the current scorching temperatures will persist until the end of the month.
Link from www.aljazeera.com