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Greece wildfires: PM warns of ‘difficult days ahead’
Published 3 hours agoPublished 3 hours agolast updated 23 minutes agolast updated 23 minutes ago
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Greece is “at war” and that Athens would remain on “alert.” Temperatures have soared above 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country. Follow DW for the latest.
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A firefighter tries to put out a wildfire in Asklipio village, on Rhodes island
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the islands of Rhodes and Corfu as firefighters contend with heat wave conditionsImage: Aristidis Vafeiadakis//ZUMAPRESS.com/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Greece is ‘at war’ amid the devastating fires
The TUI travel firm says it is evacuating British, German and Danish tourists from Rhodes
2,500 people have also been evacuated from the island of Corfu
Skip next section Netherlands warns of travel risks for three Greek islands
23 minutes ago23 minutes ago
Netherlands warns of travel risks for three Greek islands
The Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry has issued a travel warning for the Greek islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia, the Reuters news agency reported.
The ministry on Monday upgraded the travel advisory from green to yellow as a result of the forest fires.
Tens of thousands of people have already fled blazes on the three islands, with tourists scrambling to catch evacuation flights home.
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Skip next section Where else are the fires burning?
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Where else are the fires burning?
Greek emergency services on Monday were dealing with wildfires on the island of Evia, which is east of Athens.
A fire was also raging in the town of Aigio on the southern Peloponnese peninsula.
A wildfire west of Athens, which has damaged more than 100 houses and businesses, has been burning since July 17.
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Skip next section TUI tourism firm flies Germans, Britons out of Rhodes
3 hours ago3 hours ago
TUI tourism firm flies Germans, Britons out of Rhodes
German travel giant TUI says it has deployed six additional planes to fly German and British tourists out of the island of Rhodes.
The firm said that another flight will be sent to bring Danish travelers to the town of Billund in southern Denmark.
“Further deployments have already been implemented and are planned, we are informing our guests on site and organising all necessary steps,” Thomas Ellerbeck, who is a member of TUI’s executive committee, said.
Rhodes is visited by about 2.5 million tourists each year and is one of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations.
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Skip next section Thousands evacuated from Corfu
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Thousands evacuated from Corfu
Authorities have evacuated nearly 2,500 people from the island of Corfu as Greece battles with major wildfires.
This included 1,000 tourists and 1,500 residents.
The fire on the island was brought under control on Monday, with evacuations being implemented as a precautionary measure.
Wildfires force evacuation from Greek island of Corfu
02:23
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Skip next section Jet2 operates 3 additional flights out of Rhodes
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Jet2 operates 3 additional flights out of Rhodes
British airline Jet2 said it was sending three extra flights on Monday to bring around 600 people back to the United Kingdom out of Rhodes.
It said that the repatriation flights would go to Manchester, Leeds Bradford and Birmingham.
“We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers,” the firm said.
According to the UK government, there are about 7,000-10,000 Britons currently on Rhodes.
Meanwhile, UK airline EasyJet said it would also operate two repatriation flights on Monday and one on Tuesday in addition to its usual schedule.
Fires force mass evacuations on Greek island Rhodes
02:10
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Skip next section Greece’s Mitsotakis says country ‘at war’ amid fires
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Greece’s Mitsotakis says country ‘at war’ amid fires
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Athens would remain on “constant alert” and likened the wildfires raging in Greece to a “war.”
“For the next few weeks we must be on constant alert. We are at war, we will rebuild what we lost, we will compensate those who were hurt,” Mitsotakis told parliament.
“The climate crisis is already here, it will manifest itself everywhere in the Mediterranean with greater disasters,” he said, warning that the nation faced “another three difficult days ahead” before high temperatures are forecast to ease.
The country is experiencing a heat wave that has significantly heightened the risk of wildfires.
Dangerous wildfires force renewed evacuation in Greece
03:33
sdi/nm (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
