- A charter flight brought 135 tourists back from Rhodes to Zurich during the night.
- A new fire has broken out near the village of Vati on Rhodes.
- The situation on Euboea and Corfu is also dangerous.
- It’s expected to cool down on Thursday. Until then, it will remain hot in the country.
135 tourists returned to Switzerland on a special flight from Rhodes on Tuesday night. Overall, the Airbus A320 would have had space for 174 passengers, said a spokesman for the airline Edelweiss when asked by Keystone-SDA.
A few dozen were customers of travel providers Kuoni and Helvetic Tours, as Kuoni announced. The special flight was organized by Kuoni together with ITS Coop and the airline Edelweiss.
The number of customers on Rhodes is constantly decreasing, Kuoni said. But there are also tourists who want to stay on site or arrive in these days.
Legend:
A man near Daddy in front of the flames, a wall of fire behind him.
KEYSTONE/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS
More than 100 Kuoni travelers have returned from the Greek holiday island since the weekend. However, these also include guests who traveled on the regularly booked flight.
We urgently need help, otherwise the south of the island will burn down completely by tomorrow.
On the Greek holiday island of Rhodes, a new fire broke out near the village of Vati in the south-east of the island on Tuesday afternoon. Meter-high flames spread in the direction of the already evacuated village of Gennada, eyewitnesses reported. Huge clouds of smoke darkened the sky.
“We urgently need help, otherwise the south of the island will burn down completely by tomorrow,” said a firefighter. All forces were drawn to the current fire, a strong wind was blowing.
Around ten percent of the island’s hotels were damaged by the fire, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos.
150 square kilometers area destroyed
According to estimates by experts, around 150 square kilometers of forest and agricultural land have been destroyed on Rhodes so far. In addition, according to animal rights activists, many wild and farm animals were burned.
Meanwhile, investigations into the causes of the fires on Rhodes have begun, as reported by state television. In addition, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating whether the management of the fire brigade – when the fire was still small – acted correctly.
Firefighting plane crashed in Euboea – pilots dead
The island of Euboea is also ravaged by fires. The region of the small port town of Karystos is particularly affected. A fire-fighting plane crashed on Tuesday afternoon while fighting the fires on the second largest Greek island. This was reported by Greek state television. The two pilots, aged 34 and 27, died, the Greek Air Force General Staff said in the evening. The Greek Ministry of Defense ordered a three-day mourning for the armed forces.
A fire has flared up again in the north of Corfu. For this reason, according to the civil defense, three villages near the small port town of Kassiopi were evacuated.
Legend:
Satellite images show the extent of a forest fire on Rhodes (07/24/2023).
Keystone/ AP Satellite image ‘2023 Maxar Technologies
On the Peloponnese peninsula, emergency services have been able to contain a fire near the port city of Egion.
Downwind as hot as expected from hair dryer
The temporary end of the heat wave in Greece comes on Thursday. Strong winds are expected to cool down to 35 degrees. It has been up to 45 degrees in most regions of the country for twelve days.
Before the cooldown comes, there will be one final heat climax. Especially in western Greece, a wind coming from Libya is expected for Tuesday and Wednesday – the notorious “Livas”. According to meteorologists, the fall wind is extremely dry and as hot as air from a hair dryer.