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Hades' rage - 26th July 2023
Evacuation efforts have intensified for tens of thousands of tourists as the Greek island of Rhodes is engulfed in flames. Caused by scorching 45 degrees celsius temperatures and severe wind, the infernos on one of Greece's most popular destinations come at the height of the tourist season.
Heeding police instructions, British tourist Kelly Squirrel fled to the beach for safety as her hotel was threatened by the blaze.
Kelly Squirrel: "We were around the pool yesterday, saw the fires. One o' clock the police came into our reception and told everyone to get on to the beach. So, we ran down to the beach. We just sat there for fifteen minutes, half an hour and then more smoke came over us so we were told to move along the beach. Just keep walking. So, we were walking for about six hours, in the heat."
Abandoning their possessions in their hotels, many tourists are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Holidaymakers Kevin Sales and his wife offered a helping hand to one evacuee caught unawares.
Kevin Sales: "We went to the stadium for somewhere to stay and I couldn't believe the stories I was hearing from the people who' ve been evacuated from hotels. All their money, passports, clothing, we had to lend a woman some of my wife's clothes cause she had nothing to wear. It was terrible."
For those stranded without travel and identity documents, foreign embassy staff are now offering assistance at Rhodes airport alongside civil servants from the Greek foreign ministry.
While tour operators from Germany, France and Britain have laid on empty aircraft to repatriate evacuees, some holidaymakers are being left in limbo. Their tour companies are continuing to operate flights into Rhodes and governments have failed to update travel advice.
Despite over 250 firefighters and 18 aircraft working to battle the blazes, wind gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour are hampering efforts to bring the flames under control. The island of Evvia is also ablaze again after being ravaged last summer, and fires are raging on another Greek tourist favourite, Corfu.
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