Holiday wildfire hell spreads to Corfu as tourists are evacuated by sea from inferno – as tens of thousands are stranded in evacuation centres on Rhodes as first 14 rescue flights carrying 2,700 leave blazing island
- Videos emerged of thousands of tourists fleeing resorts as wildfires rip through Greek island of Rhodes
- The Government has sent in a response team to Rhodes but holidaymakers are now evacuating parts of Corfu
- Are you caught in the wildfires on Rhodes or Corfu? E-mail: [email protected]
Mercy mission rescue flights will arrive in Rhodes and Corfu this morning to save British holidaymakers desperately trying to flee the fire-ravaged Greek islands also gripped by Europe’s 40C Cerberus heatwave.
EasyJet say they have two rescue flights totalling 421 seats on Monday and a third on Tuesday, in addition to its nine scheduled planes carrying thousands of people home.
Two flights from Rhodes landed in Manchester this morning rescuing British holidaymakers from the fire-ravaged island. 12 more will arrive back in the UK by midnight tonight, although incredibly it appears UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes.
Fires started on Rhodes around a week ago and around 10 per cent of the holiday island is ablaze. Pictures showed thousands of tourists desperately trying to flee the inferno, with many forced to abandon their belongings and sleep on beaches and hotel floors if they couldn’t get to the airport. Some walked for miles in the flip-flops, Crocs or sandals to get to safety. There are now growing concerns that a similar evacuation crisis will be needed in Corfu.
Jet2 and easyJet sent empty planes which will be used to evacuate Britons today. A Tui spokesman said the firm has around 40,000 customers from all over Europe in Rhodes, of which 7,800 are affected by the fires. Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell told Times Radio: ‘The best estimate of the number of British tourists on Rhodes is between 7,000 and 10,000. This is peak holiday season’. 19,000 people in total, including locals, have been evacuated from their homes or hotels.
Asked if the Government is advising people not to travel to Rhodes, Mr Mitchell told Times Radio: ‘What we’re telling people to do is to keep in touch with their tourist company, and that is the right advice. It’s important to remember that only 10% of the island is affected by these fires. And therefore it is the tourist companies and the holiday experts who are best placed to give guidance on whether or not a family or individuals’ holidays are going to be ruined by these events.’ Asked if he would go on holiday there at the moment, he said: ‘I think I probably wouldn’t’.
It comes after authorities began evacuating large swathes of the island of Corfu, which is also popular with British holidaymakers, after fires spread there on Sunday.
A British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a Rapid Deployment Team had arrived on Rhodes to support travel operators in bringing Britons home.
Some flights out of Rhodes were delayed on Sunday night, including an easyJet flight due to arrive in Gatwick at 9pm which touched down at 11.30pm after stopping for a crew change in Milan.
A later easyJet flight landed at Gatwick at 2.23am, an hour and a half after it was due, while there were further delays amid the overnight flights from Jet2 and Tui to Nottingham, Birmingham, Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle.
Further easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair flights from Rhodes were scheduled to arrive at Gatwick, Stansted and Bristol on Monday afternoon.
Are you caught in the fires on Rhodes or Corfu? E-mail: [email protected]
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire on the island of Rhodes last night as thousands of Britons flee and head home
A general view of a wildfire burning on the Pantokratoras mountain on Corfu island, as Europe’s 40C Cerberus heatwave continues
Flames, smoke and a red sky looms over a hotel in Corfu
Joanna Hughes, her husband Jon Hughes and their daughter Emilia, from Murton, County Durham, had to walk four miles to escape the wildfires in Rhodes
A couple sleep on the airport floor in Rhodes as rescue flights head for the Greek island
Tourists hoping to be evacuated found any space that they could find to try and get some sleep amid the exhausting temperatures
Hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated from hotels
People evacuated from their homes and hotels take shelter at a sports hall i
Jess Bailey and her family were taken to an evacuation centre in Rhodes ahead of rescue flights coming to save Britons today
Tourists wait for departing planes at the airport today, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece
A woman checks her phone this morning as tourists wait for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece
A wildfire has caused havoc on the Greek island of Rhodes with around 19,000 people having so far been evacuated from villages and hotels
Blazes have also raged on Corfu, which is also hugely popular with Brits
On Saturday, families fled their hotels, leaving their belongings behind, as the huge flames crawled closer, with some having to spend the night in local stadiums and schools.
Some flight operators, including Tui, continued sending tourists to the island as late as Saturday night, with one customer complaining they had been ‘abandoned’ there.
Tui has now suspended its flights to Rhodes until Tuesday, while Jet2 Holidays cancelled its trips until next Sunday.
Mother-of-six Jess Bailey arrived with her husband and two children on Saturday night to find hundreds of people in classrooms and stadiums.
She added: ‘Its quite unbelievable really. We arrived last night from Bristol, and were evacuated straight to an evacuation centre.
‘There were flights coming in really quite late at night from all over the place and people couldn’t go to their hotels.
‘It was chaos at Rhodes airport last night. Nobody seemed to know what was going on at all. There were hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere. This morning there is nobody from Tui here. Nobody knows what is going on and it is scorchingly hot.’
Helen Tonks, a mother of six from Cheshire, said she was flown into a ‘living nightmare’ by Tui at 11pm on Saturday and discovered her hotel had been closed.
She said she and her family were ‘abandoned’ and forced to sleep with hundreds of others on a school floor.
Ms Tonks described the decision by airlines to continue their usual service as ‘inexcusable and negligent – (putting) profit before safety’.
Previously the wildfire had been confined to the island’s mountainous centre but, aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread on Saturday towards the coast on the island’s central-eastern side.
Greek authorities said 19,000 people had been evacuated, with the Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection adding it was ‘the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country’.
Kevin Evans was evacuated twice with his wife and three young children, including a six-month old baby, on Saturday as the fire rapidly spread.
He said: ‘We were originally in Kiotari in a villa but were moved to Gennadi at about 2pm.
‘There were lots of people in Gennadi sent from the hotels – many in just swimsuits having been told to leave everything in the hotel.
‘As night fell, we could see the fire on the top of the hills in Kiotari. They said all the hotels were on fire.
‘About midnight the fire started moving on to our side of the hill. The alerts were going off again but not to everyone at once with some people telling us to stay put and others receiving messages to evacuate.
‘We left at midnight with the fire very big and close.’
Stranded families have told MailOnline how they were left ‘fighting for our lives’ to try and get onto boats as desperate tourists shoved children out of the way to to force themselves on board. Before and after satellite photos show the shocking effects the wildfires have had on the island.
Under red skies on Rhodes, the Greek army helped thousands of locals and holidaymakers, mainly Britons, by finding them places to sleep in schools, stadiums and leisure centres.
One family were forced to sleep in a stadium in just their swimwear after abandoning their luggage at the Olive Garden Resort in Lardos, Rhodes. Claire McNally, whose family were initially told to stay put by hotel staff despite receiving an emergency evacuation text, told The Mirror: ‘As you can imagine it’s been stressful and we’re very hot and tired, with no change of clothes, still wearing only bikinis and shorts.’
Volunteers offer meals to tourists waiting for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following the wildfires
Kim and Angela Engelhart, from Germany, wait for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following wildfires
Families were forced to curl up on the floors of the airport and sports halls for a second night running as they wait to be taken home
Tourists sleep as others line up at check-in counters, while waiting for departing planes at the airport as they try to get home
Exhausted holiday makers look at Rhodes Airport departures board at 00.31 am, showing only three flights leaving and all other European destinations blank
Many tourists had no food or water and were forced to find makeshift beds on cardboard boxes, sun loungers and even baggage carousels. Deputy mayor of Rhodes Athansios Bryinis said: ‘There is only water and some rudimentary food. We don’t have mattresses and beds.’
Government officials are said to have held emergency meetings on Sunday as they sent in a response team to help Brits out in Rhodes. Winds of up to 35mph have made it even harder for firefighters to put out the destructive blazes. With temperatures expected to hit 45C, the Ministry for Civil Protection warned of a very high risk of wildfires in almost half of Greece.
READ MORE: Couple caught up in Rhodes wildfires were forced to walk their two children, 7 and 11, through ‘apocalyptic’ island as they battled to be evacuated
Distressed holidaymakers have been pictured anxiously staring up at the departures board as they attempt to flee the ‘apocalyptic’ island.
The Government said on Sunday afternoon it was ‘actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes’ and is in close contact with the local authorities. The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of five staff and four British Red Cross responders who have been pictured trying to help British nationals at the airport.
After rival airlines TUI and Jet2 cancelled flights to the island, easyJet announced two repatriation flights will be sent to Rhodes to bring more Brits back to London Gatwick today. The airline will also send another plane on Tuesday, while Ryanair has not yet announced any cancellations.
Conor Cullen, 45, said he, his wife Danielle, 41, and their two daughters, aged 11 and 13, have been left to ‘fend for themselves’. The frustrated family, who live near Belfast, were evacuated from the Princess Beach Hotel in Kiotari at 4pm on Saturday and taken to Gennadi where they joined thousands in waiting for rescue boats on the beach.
Mr Cullen, who works in business intelligence, told MailOnline: ‘When we made the decision to move Gennadi that was the big moment in the situation last night we had to take the bull by the horns. No one was coming to save us. We had to fend for ourselves.’
His wife Danielle, a hairdresser, added: ‘When you’re watching a movie and you just think that’s never gonna happen. Last night showed these things happen and we really were fighting for our lives trying to get on the boat.’
Mr Cullen said the situation at the beach was ‘like something out a movie’. He added: ‘You might assume with young kids that people were more accepting but they weren’t. Everyone had their own situation and tried to force themselves on.
‘They were shoving kids out the way. It felt like we were going to have to get physical. We were very fortunate that a boat stopped in front of us. Then there was a sick lady who had passed out in front of us but others still tried to shove themselves on.’
The family, who arrived in Rhodes on July 15, were able to get a three-hour boat up to Afantou before getting a taxi to Stegna Beach where they will wait until their flight home to Belfast on Tuesday. After fleeing their hotel, they have been left with two small bags and their passports.
Lowri Jones, from Crymych, Pembrokeshire, Wales, described scenes of ‘chaos’ at the airport. She told The Independent: ‘It was absolute pandemonium at the airport, with long queues of people trying to find out what coach they were.’
The first Brits have arrived at Gatwick Airport wearing smiles of relief while hundreds more remain caught up in hours of delays at Rhodes Airport
Holidaymakers Charlie and Shane Murphy-Jones arrives at Gatwick Airport from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continue to spread and thousands are forced to flee
Brits were delighted to be home after enduring terrifying wildfires in Rhodes. Thousands more are still stranded on the Greek island
A man wearing an England shirt stands near the International Arrivals gate at Gatwick airport after returning from Rhodes
Tourists line up at check-in counters as they wait for departing planes at the airport in a bid to leave the Greek island which is on fire
Tourists sleep on the floor amid the exhausting battle to flee the terrifying fires engulfing large parts of Rhodes and now Corfu
British families trapped on Rhodes have been caught up in hours of delays at the island’s airport after fleeing raging wildfires. Pictured: Emma and her four-year-old son Josh
A tourist from Wales waits for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
Anxious tourists wait for more information by staring up at the departure boards at Rhodes International Airport amid the chaotic scenes
Abi James, who is in Rhodes with her partner and son, and her friend’s family, says the two young boys in their party have been left terrified by the experience. Pictured: Ms James’ son Jasper (left) and her friend’s son Finley (right) sleeping on the floor of a hotel reception
Tourists spread out across the floor as they wait in the airport’s departure halls as evacuations are carried out from Rhodes
Families have been forced to flee the raging wildfires as they now desperately attempt to get home from the Greek island
Adnan, a tourist from Germany waits for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece
Tourists wait for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
Families try to sleep at Rhodes International Airport as they wait to be evacuated from the island amid the raging wildfires
Tourists are sheltered in a stadium after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
Families with young children try to find a space to sleep as Greek authorities carry out the biggest evacuation of its kind
Meanwhile mother Joanna Hughes, 35, revealed the heartbreaking moment that her five-year-old daughter Emilia asked if they were going to die as they fled the raging blaze.
Ms Hughes and her husband Jon had paid £3,600 for a 10-night stay at the Lindos Imperial Resort and Spa in Kiotari but were forced to abandon their belongings and evacuate the hotel which later burned down.
‘We were trying to keep ourselves together but Emilia could see that it wasn’t right. She could sense it,’ Ms Hughes told The Sun.
‘She did say a couple of times ‘Are we going to die?’. That is something I won’t forget for a long time. ‘I’ve not stopped crying since we got home.’
Newlywed Andrew Brittan, 27, and his wife Emily, travelled from the East Midlands to Rhodes for their honeymoon on Satuday, unaware that it would become a holiday from hell.
‘The first night of my honeymoon was spent on a mattress outside,’ he told MailOnline from a refuge centre where generous locals have been donating mattresses to terrified tourists.
While they have been stuck in the baking heat with ‘hundreds’ of other tourists at one makeshift evacuation centre, other Brits have been desperately trying to escape the fire-ravaged island.
Mother Abi was holidaying with her husband, their friends and the couples’ two young sons when they saw flames approaching their hotel, and were forced to run for their lives.
The families, along with dozens of others, say they were told to stay put. But Abi’s maternal instinct kicked in and they fled on foot – walking around five miles in 42 degree heat to escape the raging flames yesterday.
Raging wildfires in Corfu have sparked more evacuations in Greece as Brits face more holiday chaos amid the European heatwave
Shannon Ward (right) and her friend Katherine. The friends arrived in Corfu this morning and have been left frustrated by the lack of information
Jet2 said that it was continuing to fly as normal to Corfu despite evacuations starting to take place on the Greek island
British father Nick Stafford, 40, his wife Vicki, also 40, and their two children, aged seven and 11, described the situation as ‘utter chaos’ after they were forced to flee their £350 a night hotel. He said coaches were only picking up hotel workers and people who had easyJet packages, leaving them no choice but to walk to the next hotel in 33 degrees heat at 11pm.
READ MORE: Before and after satellite photos show shocking effects of Rhodes wildfires with green rolling fields and mountains reduced to charred scorched earth
After having to rely on their phone torches with minimal battery after a power cut plunged the island into darkness, Mr Stafford told The Mirror: ‘It was pretty apocalyptic and hard work with the kids. Looking ahead was completely dark on the road, but behind us, the full horizon was lit up as far as you could see.’
After walking six miles, the family were picked up by a local who took them a further two miles to another hotel. Mr Stafford added: ‘The hotel got gradually and gradually more busy, there must have been hundreds of people. We queued at the one shop in the hotel for two hours for snacks.
‘Getting hotel breakfast was one-in-one-out and it was a scrum so we gave up on that. Ash was falling from the sky but some people were lying outside on sunbeds to sleep.’
Brits have been forced to wade out into the sea and jump onto boats to escape the incoming inferno, while others were forced to sleep on the beach away from the flames.
Some 19,000 people have been evacuated, with many others forced to leave their belongings behinds as they take refuge at other resorts.
Those caught in the chaos have blasted holiday firms for a perceived lack of help, as they have been forced to rely on assistance from the overstretched Greek authorities and well-meaning locals.
Now TUI says it has cancelled all flights to the island until Wednesday while Jet2 has cancelled five, with empty planes still travelling to the island to get tourists home.
As the dire situation has shown no sign of improving, many are still trapped, with the Greek authorities warning things could become even worse.
A UK government spokesperson said: ‘We are actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes and are in close contact with local authorities.
‘The FCDO has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team (RDT) of five FCDO staff and four British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to support British Nationals, whose safety is our top priority. They will be based at Rhodes International Airport to assist with travel documents and liaise with Greek authorities and travel operators on the ground.
‘British nationals in Rhodes should contact their travel operator in the first instance for any queries regarding the rescheduling of flights and continue to check our updated gov.uk travel advice for information.’
On Sunday evening, Greece’s Emergency Communications Service ordered people staying or living in almost 20 areas of Corfu to evacuate to safer parts of the resort-studded island. The local authorities deployed six coastguard ships and nine private vessels as at least 59 people were transported from Nissaki beach in the northwest to a less vulnerable area on Sunday night.
The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of five staff and four British Red Cross responders who have been pictured trying to help British nationals at the airport
A Foreign Office member of staff and a TUI worker speak together at Rhodes International Airport as part of the rescue effort for Brits
Newlywed Andrew Brittan, 27, and his wife Emily, spent the first night of their honeymoon on a mattress outside a makeshift refuge centre. They were unable to go to their hotel after arriving in Rhodes as it had already been evacuated
Pictures from inside one evacuation centre, thought to be an old school, show cramped conditions and unhygienic facilities
An almost empty flight to Rhodes. EasyJet will send two repatriation flights to Rhodes on Monday and another one on Tuesday
Some families said that they were told to stay put where they were in Rhodes but decided to flee on foot amid the terrifying fires
Smoke rises into the sky as the fire heads towards the Princess Sun Hotel where Abi and her family were staying on Saturday
Kind-hearted locals have been transporting tourists from hotels as they flee resorts threatened by the fire. Pictured: Abi and her group in a car being driven by a Rhodes resident
Brits who were flown in to Rhodes yesterday have been crammed into an evacuation centre after their hotel was evacuated
Smoke rises into the sky as the fire heads towards the Princess Sun Hotel where Abi and her family were staying on Saturday
A satellite image shows the devastation caused by the wildfires on the charred Greek island
Des Boyd, who has been holidaying in Corfu for the last 12 years, told MailOnline: ‘It’s shocking what’s happened here. We have fled inland, it’s a disaster. [I] could not describe the fear.’
Shannon Ward, 23, who flew to Corfu from Manchester on Sunday, said she asked the manager of the Atlantica Nissaki Beach hotel for information on evacuating prior to the wildfire growing but ‘nothing happened, no warning, absolutely nothing’.
Will Rhodes tourists get compensation?
Consumer charity Which? has said it it would be ‘unconscionable’ for airlines not to refund tourists who decide against flying to fire-ravaged Rhodes.
The comments by Which? Travel editor Rory Boland came after easyJet confirmed it was operating flights to the Greek island as normal, while fellow travel firms Jet2 and Tui suspended their trips and refunded their customers.
EasyJet later said they would send repatriation flights tomorrow.
Mr Boland encouraged more airlines to be ‘flexible’ should customers decide not to travel due to the six-day blaze.
Mr Boland said: ‘It’s likely that those who are due to go to Rhodes now won’t want to go, and given the emergency operations that are taking place on the island, local authorities could probably do without more tourists arriving.
‘While there is no official Foreign Office advice against travel to Rhodes, it would be unconscionable for holiday companies to cash in on travellers’ sensible decision not to travel by not refunding or rebooking them.’
Meanwhile, an expert warned that tourists whose holidays are disrupted by the blaze or those who choose not to travel are ‘unlikely’ to be covered by their travel insurance.
Louise Clark, policy advisor at the Association of British Insurers, said: ‘Travel insurance is primarily to protect you against what can be incredibly high costs of needing emergency medical treatment overseas, but is unlikely to provide cover if you’re unable to go outside on your holiday because of a wildfire.
‘The primary purpose of travel insurance is to cover the costs of emergency medical treatments or repatriation should the worst happen, which can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
‘It can cover you if you need to cancel or cut short your holiday but it’s likely this will only be under limited circumstances, for example if you or a close family member fall ill, not because of a disinclination to travel.’
Ms Clark added that some insurers provide ‘add-ons’ available to customers at the time they buy their policy which do protect against natural disasters.
Source: PA
Ms Ward, who has paid £1,250 for an all-inclusive week in Corfu with her friend Katherine, told MailOnline: ‘It’s awful. Everyone’s been asking for hours since we saw the smoke but we got told nothing. Then we got an emergency text and the TUI reps just disappeared behind reception. Everyone was in tears, people didn’t know what to do. It’s a mess.’
Those in Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia and Sinies have been told to evacuate to Kasiopi amid the devastating fires in Corfu. Holidaymakers in Rou, Katavolo, Kentroma, Tritsi, Kokokila, Sarakiniatika, Plagia, Kalami, Vlachatika, Kavalerena should evacuate now to Ipsos. And Brits in Viglatouri and Nisaki should flee to Barbati.
Jet2, who cancelled all flights to Rhodes, said they were continuing to operate flights to Corfu ‘as planned’ despite the evacuations. The airline tweeted: ‘All flights to Corfu are still going ahead as planned. Should this change, we will be in touch.’
Dramatic footage shows Corfu completely lit up red by the vicious flames that are ripping through forests and mountains, leaving a total trail of destruction behind.
In Rhodes, some 670 miles way, 26-year-old Abi, who is from Bromborough, Wirral, described the horrors of having to evacuate amid the raging fires.
The mum arrived on the island with her partner Chris and son Jasper, along with their friends Abbey Firth, Daniel Maguire and their son Finley on Tuesday.
She said the couples and their ‘petrified’ sons received no help from the authorities or staff, and were only able to get lifts from kind-hearted locals.
But what started as an enjoyable summer getaway turned into a holiday from hell as wildfires fuelled by near-record temperatures tear through the popular holiday destination.
She has shared dramatic footage showing her family being driven away by one Rhodes resident as the inferno closed in.
Earlier, Abi said they had been forced to ‘wrestle’ with other terrified families to board coaches in a dash for safety, and revealed holidaymakers have been left hoping for rescue from the Navy and Red Cross as ash falls from the sky.
The family were forced to evacuate from the Princess Sun Hotel at around midday on Saturday when the flames reached their resort.
She said: ‘We called the travel company and were told not to worry and stay where we were.
‘Within an hour the fire had reached hotel grounds. They just turned on sirens and told us all to run. With young children, luggage and no idea where we were going.
‘We then walked five miles in 42 degree heat with no guidance on where to go. Screaming children who are absolutely terrified and crying adults everywhere.
‘Locals were stopping and picking us up to drive us away from flames literally metres away from us.’
Abi said the terrified families were then ‘told to walk to a beach with thousands of people as the fire was trapping us’.
She said: ‘There was thick black smoke and ash raining on us. The kids were absolutely petrified, not to mention there was no electricity so zero lights – it was pitch black apart from the glow from the flames.
‘We were then told to walk another three miles up hill at 11pm to another area as fire had reached too close to the beach. We then wrestled with other people to board the coaches and try and get our kids to safety.’
The group then moved to the Atrium Prestige Hotel with ‘thousands of people’, but Abi claims they received ‘no water, no food and no communication from the holiday company’.
She said: ‘We have had to let our kids drink tap water to try and prevent dehydration. There is no air conditioning and people are going to become seriously ill.
‘Our poor boys have tried to be so brave but they are absolutely petrified, as are we. We have no idea what’s going on and can still see flames on the horizon.’
The families had flights booked to leave the island on Saturday night, but with no way of reaching the airport amid the chaos are now stuck.
Abi added: ‘The Red Cross and the navy are supposed to be helping us evacuate so we are praying to get out of here today, but again I contacted holiday firm and they said to just wait for texts.
They have since made it to the airport but said there was no representative from their tour company there and they are still struggling to get out.
Speaking on Sunday morning, before the families managed to get a lift to the airport from two locals, Abi said: ‘We are currently safe at a hotel, however the wind has changed direction.
‘Ash is falling from the sky and it looks like there is fire spreading towards us again it’s absolutely awful and so scary, we just want to get our boys home safe.’
Before flights into Rhodes were cancelled by Jet2 and TUI other families were flown in as recently as Saturday night and Sunday morning.
In an update on Sunday afternoon easyJet said: ‘We know the situation for many currently in Rhodes is very difficult so we are doing all we can to help customers and provide assistance.
‘EasyJet will be operating two repatriation flights tomorrow from Rhodes to Gatwick using an A320 and an A321 aircraft totalling 421 additional seats.
People are sleeping on the floor in the airport and at evacuation centres as they flee the fires on Rhodes
Tourists play cards as they wait in the airport’s departure hall as evacuations are underway due to wildfires, on the Greek island of Rhodes
Tourists are sheltered in a sports hall after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece
Helen Tonks, from Cheshire, said that her family did not even make it to their hotel, which had already been evacuated, and have instead taken refuge at a school
Brits crammed in a hotel away from the fires have been forced to sleep on sun lounger cushions outside as they flee the fires
Burnt out cars and homes have been pictured as wildfires sweep Rhodes. Above: Damage done by the wildfires in Kiotari village on the island
Charred plants on white sandy beaches on Rhodes, which make the island a popular tourist destination for British travellers
‘This is in addition to the nine flights we already have operating between Rhodes and the UK.
‘We will also operate a further repatriation flight on Tuesday and continue to keep under review if additional repatriation flights are needed.’
Among them was new couple Mr and Mrs Brittan, who flew with TUI and spent £1,000 each on their honeymoon to Finas Hotel and Apartments.
Mr Brittan told MailOnline that when they boarded the flight out of East Midlands airport on Saturday night, ‘There was an announcement on the plane about wildfires.’
‘TUI thought all the hotels were fine and we would have a good holiday,’ he said.
‘We arrive and got sent onto a bus being told we would go to our hotel. Instead we were driven to an evacuation camp.
‘We then had to line up and get registered. We were told to go into the building but it was so cramped that we decided to camp outside with some friends we made from Scotland.
‘I’m on 20 minutes sleep and covered in bites as the bed was covered with ants!’
Mr Brittan said that he and his wife, along with the ‘hundreds’ of others camped out there, will ‘have to spend another night and then hopefully tomorrow be put into a different hotel’.
A firefighting aircraft drops water to extinguish a wildfire in Kiotari village, on Rhodes
A father carries his daughter to safety as hundreds of tourists are evacuated from Rhodes amid a barrage of wildfires
A wildfire burns next to a beach near Lindos, on the island of Rhodes
Tourists are lining up waiting to be evacuated as wildfires break out in Lindos on the Greek island of Rhodes
Helen Tonks, from Cheshire, said that her family set off for their dream holiday on Saturday night, a stay at the five-star all-inclusive Gennadi Grand Resort, but arrived to chaos.
It was set to be the first holiday the family, which includes Helen, her husband and their three daughters aged 15, 21 and 22, had been on in four years due to Covid and work.
The dream trip had set the family back £18,000 – but they never even made it to their hotel.
‘The hotel was already closed and people evacuated before our flight took off last night,’ Helen said.
‘It is one thing to be here already and get caught up in it, it is a different thing entirely, negligence effectively, to bring more tourists to the area.’
The family arrived in Rhodes at around 10.10pm Saturday night. ‘Half the island is on fire,’ said Helen.
They have taken refuge in school, opposite a large sports centre which is also filled with tourists fleeing from the flames.
‘When we got to the school it was already full of people. There are hundreds here.’
She said she wishes the family had never got on their flight, which was delayed, she thinks due to the risks. ‘We think we heard them say the delay was because they were deciding whether or not it was safe for us to travel.’
‘We would obviously not have come if we’d known, but no one told us,’ she said.
Twitter user John Hughes took a video of the chaotic scenes as the wildfire rages on the island
Tourists who want to leave the island are desperately making their way to its airport, with empty flights being sent in to get Brits out
Tourists are sheltered in a stadium after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
Helen said the generosity of locals has been ‘humbling’ and that they have been bringing those trapped at the evacuation point water, boxes of fruit, and even cushions to make their stay more comfortable.
Another tourist who was evacuated from Lindos on Saturday night hailed the ‘unbelievable hospitality and kindness’ of locals in Greece. Matthew Ward tweeted: ‘Evacuated from #Lindos last night — slept at a school staffed by local volunteers who brought us food, water, mattresses, then helped to find us a room and gave us a lift into #Rhodes town. Unbelievable hospitality and kindness.’
On Saturday, Mark Hunter and his 28-week pregnant partner were evacuated first to a ballroom in another hotel, and then to a school in Afandou, along with scores of other holidaymakers.
He said: ‘We were first alerted through the emergency evacuation notices system on our phones. The hotel told us it didn’t apply to us, however they started an evacuation half an hour later.
‘Pandemonium ensued, whilst everyone was ushered to a nearby hotel and put into a sweltering function room. It was very disorganised from the hotels with quite a few disgruntled and fearful people.’
Local people have also been evacuated from their homes on Rhodes and have taken refuge in public buildings
Forest fires have made their way into villages on Rhodes, including Kiotari, with damage done by the flames pictured here
A firefighter tries to put out a wildfire in Kiotari village, on Rhodes island, Greece – with what looks like just a garden hose
Groups of holidaymakers have been taken to a school in Afandou, Rhodes, as they wait for boats to take them off the island in the morning
Mark Hunter described scenes of tension, with many tourists angry and disgruntled at the chaotic nature of the evacuation
Elaine Kerr said her son and his girlfriend were staying at a resort on the island with another couple when they received an alert at 12am telling them to evacuate their hotel.
She said: ‘Luckily for my son, they had hired a car on arrival at Rhodes, so they have packed up and drove to a safe place.
‘They have tried over 15 places to stay for the night but all are full, so currently they will have to stay in their car.’
Janet McDonald told MailOnline: ‘My daughter and granddaughter were evacuated from Princess Sun Hotel Kotari this morning. They were told to walk for 50 minutes and then abandoned on a beach with nothing, no food or water and they have been left there.
‘Now it is pitch black, her phone is dying and obviously the children are distressed.
Tourist Kieran Turner captured this view of Rhodes from his family’s campsite on a beach
‘The Jet2 rep told them to ‘walk that way’ then got in her car and drove off. It’s nearly midnight and all they can see is the fires. Scary stuff and I’m a wreck.’
Another woman told The Mirror how her friend and her family had to flee their hotel on foot in the blistering heat, leaving them stranded at the airport with no money or passports.
Eileen Lawton, her daughter Hannah Gormley and eight-year-old granddaughter Annabelle were also staying at the Princess Sun Hotel when it started to catch fire.
Their friend Glynis Wall said that hotel bosses evacuated, leaving guests to wait for rescue coaches which ‘never turned up’.
‘They said it was like images of a warzone,’ Ms Wall said. ‘Everyone around them was panicking. There were children and babies crying and mothers trying to protect them from the smoke.’
Holidaymaker Emma Marsh said: ‘We are currently in Rhodes – we landed today only to be told that our hotel has burnt down. No one from the airline informed us before we flew.
Friend and family members of holidaymakers contacted airlines in desperation after hearing tales of them being stranded
Guidance from the British Embassy included a hotline for Britons to call for consular assistance
Tourists sit in the back of an open air lorry as they are evacuated during wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes
‘The car we booked refused to take us anywhere… definitely a lesson to always book a package holiday! We’ve had to sort ourselves out with a hotel for tonight and the insurance company is shut until Monday.
‘I would definitely recommend people do not fly out to Rhodes in the next week.
‘The hotel we’ve managed to find is having power cuts every two minutes, there is no aircon because it’s putting too much pressure on the electricity and it’s just a complete nightmare.’
Fellow tourist Kieran Turner added: ‘Me and my family are evacuees in Rhodes from Rodos Princess Beach hotel. Information from the hotel is sparse and our airline Jet2 is nowhere to be seen other than taking a register around 6pm.
‘I’m currently camping on the beach with my wife, our six-year-old daughter and her two grandmothers.
‘It’s horrible what is happening to the people of Rhodes but we feel completely abandoned by Jet2.’
Hundreds of tourists have been forced to walk miles to safety on the Greek island of Rhodes
Carolyn Clason, on holiday in Pefkos, told the Mail: ‘A lot of families with small children are frightened. Pefkos has just received a message from the Greek authorities telling us to evacuate, but no one knows where to go or how to get there.
‘The scene is chaotic, the beach is full.
‘Transfer coaches have been unable to ferry arriving passengers to their locations due to road closures and its clearly having a knock-on effect.
‘The ash from the fire is like a very full ashtray being spilt on the floor. Swimming pools are covered in thick ash and dust .
‘We’re wishing the rain you have back home would make its way here.’
Members of the coastguard, the armed forces and local authority workers used dozens of buses to help move people away from the fires, said Rhodes municipality official Teris Hatziioannou.
Where the fires had cut off road access, some tourists had to walk to safety.
Panagiotis Dimelis, head of the Archangelos village council, told Skai TV that many locals had rushed to help the tourists.
‘It is an unprecedented situation for the island,’ he added.
For the beach operation, the coastguard said three of its boats led more than 30 private vessels to pick up people from the Kiotari and Lardos beaches on the east of the Mediterranean island.
A Greek navy boat was also headed to the area to help, according to the coastguard.
Later Saturday, fire services spokesman Yannis Artopoios told ERT that new evacuation orders had been issued for the villages of Gennadi and Kiotari with direction to Plimiri on the eastern side of the island.
Holidaymakers board a vessel as a beach in Rhodes becomes engulfed in smoke from nearby wildfires
Smoke rises from a wildfire on the island of Rhodes, Greece
Twitter user Paul Kalburgi reported that he left the hotel with his children and was told by his youngest that ‘he doesn’t want to die’
Whole forests on the island have been caught up in raging wildfires for the past five days
The wildfire was confined to the island’s mountainous centre, but aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread on Saturday towards the coastline of Rhodes
The wildfires have raged for five days, with authorities issuing an evacuation on Saturday
An empty beach is pictured amidst smoke rising from wildfire burning near Lindos
People try to extinguish a wildfire burning near Lindos, on the island of Rhodes
Tourists were evacuated by boats close to Kiotari village on Rhodes island, Greece on Saturday
Hundreds of tourists have been forced to evacuate from Rhodes as wildfires continue to ravage the Greek island after five days
Families enjoying the summer holidays were forced to pack their belongings hurriedly as evacuations took place on Rhodes, which has been beset by wildfires
A house was razed to the ground after fierce wildfires in Rhodes over the past five days
Firefighters put out a blaze in a yard on the Greek island of Rhodes
Small fishing boats were even used in a bid to remove as many tourists as possible from the island as it burns under searing temperatures
Firefighters are seen near a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
The fires have wrought devastation on Rhodes’ wildlife and scenery, famed as one of the lushest Greek islands
A Jet2 spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the fast-moving situation in Rhodes and our absolute priority is the health, safety and well-being of customers in the affected area. Our in-resort teams are working hard to comply with the guidance of local authorities, and we are continuing to bring more customer helpers into the area to provide further assistance, despite transport infrastructure challenges.
‘We ask any customers in affected areas to follow the advice of both the local authorities, as well as staff in their hotels, who are acting under the advice of the authorities.
‘In addition to our in-resort team, we have set up a dedicated team in the UK to help co-ordinate our response, and we have sent direct communications to keep customers updated.
‘We are keeping the situation under constant review and continue to make decisions in the best interests of our customers.’
TUI said in a statement on Sunday: ‘We’re continuing to closely monitor the wildfires in Rhodes which have led to the evacuation of a number of hotels in the South of the island.
‘We appreciate how distressing and difficult it is for customers who have been evacuated and ask they follow the advice of the local authorities who are managing tourist movements in impacted areas.
‘Our resort teams are doing everything they can to support customers, working closely with the relevant authorities.
‘We have cancelled all outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Tuesday, and passengers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds.
‘Passengers due to travel on Wednesday will be offered a fee free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund. Those customers currently in Rhodes will return on their intended flight home.
‘The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remains our top priority.’
Are you caught in the fires on Rhodes? E-mail: [email protected]
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