Greece fires – live: Tourists in Rhodes and Corfu evacuated as Croatia also battles wildfires

Croatia is battling wildfires as thousands of tourists have flee Rhodes and Corfu amid blazes ravaging Greece.

A firefighting plane is dropping water on a mountain side in Župa Dubrovačka in Croatia after a wildfire broke out last night.

Almost 100 firefighters are on the scene and several vehicles, according to reports.

It comes as 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread, while over 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday.

After the blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history, civil protection authorities warned of “extreme risk” of wildfires on the island of Crete, while around 2,500 people have already been evacuated from Corfu, which has been enduring dozens of blazes.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Monday the country was “at war” and said on Tuesday the next days would be difficult, with conditions possibly improving after Thursday.

Key Points

• Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed

• ‘Extreme fire risk’ for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday

• Up to 10,000 British tourists on Rhodes due to ‘peak holiday season'

• Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu

• Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes

• Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed

13:31 , Tara Cobham

A plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed as blazes ravage the country.

The Greek Fire Brigade confirmed to The Independent that the accident happened over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning. The spokesperson said they are investigating whether there have been any casualties.

Local media has reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the plane subsequently plummeting to the ground before an explosion is seen.

Croatia tackles wildfires

15:37 , Martha Mchardy

Croatia has become one of several countries across Europe battling wildfires.

A firefighting plane is dropping water on a mountain side in Župa Dubrovačka in Croatia after a wildfire broke out last night.

Almost 100 firefighters are on the scene and several vehicles, according to reports, as the fire continues to burn.

The west side of the fire is under control, according to reports, and firefighters are now concentrating on the east side, towards the region of Konavle.

Government should ‘rethink’ its Rhodes travel advice, says Labour

14:56 , Kate Devlin

Labour has suggested the government “rethink” the advice it is giving travellers over Rhodes, amid concerns cancellations may not be covered by insurers.

Labour leader in the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon said the “lack of advisory” from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is “not helpful”.

The FCDO has not formally told holidaymakers not to travel to the island and instead is advising they check with their travel operator.

Lords deputy chief whip the Earl of Courtown said ministers recognised that some travel companies do use FCDO advice.

But he added: “Our travel advice is focused on ensuring the safety of British nationals and is designed to give people the detail they need to make an informed decision.”

Lady Smith said the minister should “rethink this matter”.

She said the “Government’s advisory is not helpful - or lack of advisory - to those who are not sure if they should fly this week or not, or what the financial consequences could be.”

Lib Dems accuse PM of ‘missing in action’ as wildfires burn in Rhodes

14:41 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak has been urged by the Liberal Democrats to call an emergency meeting in response to the wildfires in Rhodes.

The party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran said: “While thousands of British holidaymakers are impacted by the wildfires on Rhodes, Rishi Sunak has shown a failure of leadership.

“The prime minister needs to take action and urgently convene an emergency Cobra meeting to help holidaymakers.

“The Government must also immediately change the Foreign Office advice to essential travel only, which will enable the thousands of British tourists due to fly to Rhodes to safely cancel their holidays without being left out of pocket.

“Holidaymakers are being let down by this Conservative Government and a prime minister who is missing in action when they need him.”

‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes

14:27 , Martha Mchardy

Two people have been confirmed dead after a plane fighting the wildfires in Greece crashed, according to reports from the BBC.

The accident occurred over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning for several days.

Local media reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the small plane plummeting to the ground and exploding after dropping its cargo over the blaze.

Holly Evans reports:

‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes

Watch moment plane fighting wildfires in Evia crashes

14:24 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Tourists lounge near pool as wildfires rage in Rhodes

14:21 , Martha Mchardy

British tourist tells of ‘traumatic’ escape from hotel that ‘caught alight hours later’

14:15 , Tara Cobham

A British tourist has spoken of a “traumatic” escape from her hotel in Rhodes, which she was told was hours later caught alight in the wildfires spreading across Greece.

Demi Kemp, 25, of Essex, said she was having lunch at her hotel in the village of Kiotari on Saturday surrounded by falling ash, growing clouds of smoke, and a smell similar to a bonfire when her boyfriend received an evacuation alert on his phone. Shortly after, the power cut and fire alarms started going off.

“People started to panic,” Ms Kemp, a legal PA, told The Independent. “People were running everywhere. We started seeing staff crying and that’s when we thought, ‘Oh, this is bad.’ It was traumatic.”

The hotel evacuated and many walked two hours in “unbearable heat” to another hotel, she said. “There were kids screaming. People were passing out and stopping because they had cramps in their legs. Locals were bringing out hoses to spray and cool people down. I was still in my bikini and beach cover-up.”

At the hotel on Gennadi Beach, the group was given food and water. Ms Kemp said the army turned up and started transporting people, while local residents were “piling people up in cars”.

Next, she managed to get a coach to a nearby school, where people were laying on cardboard to rest and black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky.

From here, Ms Kemp rallied a group of 80 people and a coach driver offered to take them to the airport for free.

She described the airport as “frantic”, with everyone scrambling to try and get on the few, already overbooked flights. Luckily, her group of four bagged seats on a 4.30am flight on Sunday. She said, “It was the quietest flight I’ve ever been on. When we took off you could see the blaze out the window.”

They made it home at 9am. Ms Kemp said: “It was like an out-of-body experience. I remember feeling the heat and seeing the fire and thinking we were not going to make it home at one point. The weather was just getting hotter and the wind was spreading the flames.”

Minister reiterates warnings Greece fires are ‘wake-up call' on climate change

14:00 , Kate Devlin

A UK government minister reiterated warnings that the Greece fires are a “wake-up call” on climate change as he said individual holidaymakers had their own “choice” to make about whether or not to travel.

The Earl of Courtown resisted calls for the government to change its travel advice, amid warnings it limits whether consumers can get refunds on their holidays.

He told peers the situation in Rhodes was “stabilising” and there were no plans to repatriate holidaymakers from the island as Rhodes airport was operating normally.

The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of six staff and four British Red Cross responders to the airport, he said.

He added: “Every individual has their own choice of where they go on holiday. I will be staying at home over the next six weeks”.

Travel expert Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions at virtual event

13:45 , Tara Cobham

As the long summer break begins for many our expert travel team are preparing to answer your questions on how to best tackle the coming weeks.

Travel editor Helen Coffey will be hosting the discussion and she will be joined by our renowned travel correspondent Simon Calder and deputy travel editor Ben Parker.

The team will be answering all of your questions, from what to check for on your passport before you travel, to how to find a bargain last minute deal. And there are the answers on whether to stay in the UK or travel aboard? Plus, whether to find a secure package deal or whether you should track down the separate options for flights and accommodation to get the best deal?

Sign up for free here by 4pm on July 25 to watch the discussion.

Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions during exclusive event

Body of woman found by firefighters putting out blaze at Greek home

13:37 , Tara Cobham

The body of an elderly woman has been found by firefighters putting out a blaze at a Greek home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Hellenic Fire Service, which is the national fire and rescue service in Greece, said an investation is ongoing after her body was found in a family home on Pausaniou Street, in Agios Achaias, amid a fire that damaged the house.

How many Britons are in Sicily?

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Because no records are available for UK arrivals to, and departures from, Sicily, the best estimates for the number of British holidaymakers are provided by looking at the average number of flights to the islands’s airports each week and assuming an average stay of 10 days.

According to the flight data specialist Cirium, in a normal peak summer week there are 64 one-way flights scheduled from UK airports to four airports in Sicily: Palermo, Catania, Comiso and Trapani. The typical seat capacity is 12,000, and at this time of year the vast majority of passengers will be British holidaymakers. The number is currently reduced because of the closure of Catania airport to UK flights because of a fire at the terminal.

The Independent has calculated that there are currently 15,000 UK travellers in Sicily, in addition to a number of longer-stay residents with property – and sometimes family – on the island.

In a recent update today, Palermo's Falcone Borsellino airport, which was evacuated and closed during the night due to flames surrounding the perimeter area of the terminal, has partially resumed operations, as of 11am today, Tuesday, 25 July.

Departure flights have been authorised, while incoming flights are being monitored due to the strong scirocco winds blowing in the area, according to local media, quoting Gesap, the company managing the airport.

Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria

13:15 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria, including soldiers trying to get the flames under control in the face of high winds and scorching summer temperatures, government ministries said on Monday.

At least 1,500 people were evacuated, the Interior Ministry said, without providing details, after the fires have been burning for several days.

Wildfires, some spread by strong winds, moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions causing 97 blazes in the north African country. The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel — in the Kabyle region east of Algiers — and Bouira, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Algiers, the Interior Ministry said.

Operations to tamp down the fires included at least 7,500 firefighters and 350 trucks on the ground as well as air support.

Algeria is no stranger to summer wildfires. At least 37 people were killed last August after wildfires blazed near Algeria's northern border with Tunisia. A year earlier, authorities said dozens were killed in blazes — including soldiers called in to help fight the fires in the mountainous Kabyle region that is dotted with villages.

UK faces more 40C summers and wildfires but not prepared, expert warns

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The UK faces another 40C summer and an increased threat of wildfires due to climate change but the country is still woefully unprepared, experts warn.

Wildfires continue to blaze across the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu for a seventh day, amid a heatwave sweeping southern Europe.

Other parts of the world have similarly been hit by extreme weather conditions this year. Parts of Southeast Asia sweltered after a “once-in-200-years” heatwave gripped the region in April, and Canada has seen over 4,000 wildfires this year.

Maanya Sachdeva reports:

UK faces another 40C summer and wildfires but it’s not prepared, climate experts warn

Simon Calder on Greece: Latest travel advice

12:45 , Tara Cobham

Southern Europe has found itself on the frontline of the climate crisis this summer, with the onset of an extreme heatwave bringing dangerously high temperatures to Italy and Spain and now raging wildfires to the hills of Greece.

The Greek islands have been a favourite destination for British holidaymakers for decades but this month has seen out-of-control blazes spark “the biggest evacuation” in its history from Rhodes while Crete, Corfu, Evia and Zante have also suffered devastating infernos.

The situation for travellers is complicated because, although airlines like Jet2 and Tui have cancelled flights out of British airports over the next few days and laid on additional ones to bring stranded tourists home, others are proceeding with their journeys out as planned, apparently against the better instincts of their pilots.

“Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea,” one captain reportedly told his passengers over the Tannoy as they set out this week.

Up to 10,000 British tourists are currently feared to be on that island at present and in need of evacuation, a government minister has warned, the disaster coinciding with the height of the UK’s summer holiday season.

Joe Sommerlad and Simon Calder report:

Simon Calder’s latest advice on travel to Greece as wildfires continue to rage

In pictures: Wildfires ravaging Rhodes

12:30 , Tara Cobham

Watch: Aircraft tackling Greek wildfires flies in apocalyptic scenes

12:15 , Tara Cobham

Footage from onboard a Turkish aircraft shows the sheer devastation in Greece as the plane flies through thick black smoke to tackle the wildfires.

The land below is in darkness, apart from the orange glow of the fires, which can be seen for miles.

Satellite images have also revealed the extent of devastation caused by the wildfire which has charred the central part of the island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

An average of 50 new wildfires have broken out daily for the past 12 days in Greece, according to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. Over the weekend 64 new blazes were recorded.

Lucy Leeson reports:

Aircraft tackling Greek wildfires flies through thick smoke in apocalyptic scenes

Major Italy airport closed as wildfires now rage across Italy

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires have closed Palermo airport in Italy today as firefighters fought to control the raging blazes.

The Sicilian airport tweeted to say it would remain shut until 0900 GMT to give firefighters an opportunity to extinguish the fires which were also disrupting local road and rail traffic.

It came days after the island’s main airport of Catania, Italy’s fifth-biggest, was closed due to a fire in a terminal building.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Major airport closed as wildfires now rage across Italy

Watch: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

11:45 , Tara Cobham

Watch as wildfires continue to rage on Rhodes.

More British holidaymakers are due to return to the UK from the fire-ravaged Greek island, as repatriation flights continue.

Hundreds of people have already landed at British airports after parts of Rhodes went up in flames, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres before finding a way home.

Oliver Browning reports:

Watch: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

Listen: Calls grow for Rhodes to be put on ‘no go’ list – but Simon Calder is not convinced

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Calls are growing for the fire-hit Greek island of Rhodes to be placed on the Foreign Office "no go" list. That would compel travel firms to cancel all holidays for an indeterminate length of time – allowing families having second thoughts about going to a destination hit by such a calamity to get a full refund. But as Simon Calder explains in his daily travel podcast, it's not as simple as that.

The Independent's travel correspondent added: “Ninety per cent of the island appears to be safe and functioning.

“Jet2 and Tui, by far the biggest holiday companies, are already operating a de facto ‘no-go’ policy between now and Sunday 30 July.

“It is too early to know the extent to which August holidays will be affected, but decisions will be made in the next few days.

“If travel firms can offer safe and enjoyable holidays in Rhodes, I can see no reason to warn off holidaymakers.”

July 25th - Calls grow for Rhodes to be put on 'No Go' list | Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

National Express offers free travel for holidaymakers repatriated from Rhodes

11:15 , Tara Cobham

National Express, which runs coach services from Britain’s top airports, is offering free travel for holidaymakers repatriated from Rhodes to a different airport than they flew out from. They can go back to their original airport or to a different location of their choice within the UK. They need to supply proof of their original flight and airport, and the boarding pass of the flight they have taken.

The managing director of National Express Coach, Chris Hardy, said: “We’ve all seen the horrifying experiences people have had in the Greek wildfires on the news. This is the least we can do to help them get back home.”

Passengers with existing bookings who arrive back on a different day will be able to change without fuss.

Pictures of fire ‘reaching perimeter’ of Palermo Airport in Sicily

11:00 , Tara Cobham

Pictures of a fire “reaching the perimeter” of Palermo Airport in Sicily have been posted on social media.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

It posted on Twitter: “A fire that developed above Cinisi due to the Scirocco wind reached the perimeter of the airport.”

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

Satellite images show scorched and burning land on Greek islands

10:45 , Tara Cobham

Satellite images capture wildfires burning across the island of Rhodes.

Maxar Technologies shared the striking images on Twitter on Monday evening (24 July), which show how the blaze has charred parts of the Greek island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Planet Labs also published photos of smoke rising from Evia.

More evacuations have been ordered after the Rhodes wildfire tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving holidaymakers and local residents scrambling to safety.

At least 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats as the fire reached resorts on the southeastern coast of the island.

Satellite images show scorched and burning land on Greek islands

Man flying from London to Rhodes despite raging wildfires

10:37 , Tara Cobham

A man waiting to board a plane at London Gatwick is among the British tourists still flying out to Rhodes despite the wildfires raging through the Greek island.

Richard Hamilton, of Guernsey, 54, told The Independent at the airport that his family has already been in Kalithea, which is in the north of the island, for three days, but he said the blazes have not yet spread that far from the middle and the south of Rhodes.

Mr Hamilton, a company director, is planning on an eight-day holiday there and said: “We’ve been really careful - we’ve got a close friend who’s kept an eye on it for us, so we’re not too concerned at all.”

Watch: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

10:34 , Tara Cobham

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war’

10:30 , Tara Cobham

Arsonists are being blamed for devastating wildfires that have swept through the Greek island of Corfu.

Corfu mayor Yorgos Mahimaris said yesterday that an arsonist seemingly started the fires which sparked mass evacuations on Sunday as firefighters battled to control them.

Mr Mahimaris came to the conclusion after visiting three locations where fires broke out on Mount Pantokratoras.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war’

Watch: Berlin hit by freak storm as heavy rain batters Germany

10:15 , Tara Cobham

In pictures: Wildfires ravage Greek island of Rhodes

10:00 , Tara Cobham

Watch live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes

09:45 , Tara Cobham

Live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

09:30 , Tara Cobham

Michael Gove is going to Evia in a week despite Greek authorities evacuating parts of the island.

The housing secretary is visiting the island, off the eastern coast of mainland Greece, after it became caught up in the “nightmare” wildfires engulfing the country.

Mr Gove told Sky News: “I am planning to go to Greece in just over a week’s time.” He added that he was visiting Evia.

Asked whether he was worried about the raging fires, Mr Gove said: “No, I am not.

“I want to make sure that as a government that we do everything possible to support Greece and indeed our tourists.”

Archie Mitchell reports:

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

Palermo airport closed and two killed in north as fires and storms batter Italy

09:10 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires forced the closure of Palermo airport in Sicily on Tuesday as extreme weather continued to batter Italy, with severe storms causing damage and at least two deaths in the north of the country.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

On Tuesday, Italy put 16 cities on red alert because of the high temperatures. These include Palermo and Catania, where power and water supply cuts that local officials blamed in part on the heat have been frequent in recent days. Meanwhile, an overnight storm in Milan tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking roads and disrupting overground transportation in Italy's financial capital.

Two women were killed on Monday and Tuesday in the northern Monza and Brescia provinces after being crushed by falling trees.

Watch: Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in storm

09:00 , Tara Cobham

A man has died and 15 others are injured after a violent storm hit the town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds in northwestern Switzerland.

Rain, hail and winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour were recorded on Monday evening, Swiss public broadcaster SRF said on Tuesday. This caused damage to structures, trees and vehicles.

The storm "unfortunately caused the death of a person in their fifties following the fall of a building crane", Neuchâtel local police said in a press release.

Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in violent storm

Watch: Passenger recounts time in Rhode after Greece wildfires

08:40 , Tara Cobham

A passenger recalled his evacuation from Rhodes after arriving back at Gatwick Airport.

Up to 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the fire-ravaged Greek island, with repatriation flights to rescue holidaymakers landing back in the UK.

Dominic Doggett explained how he “stayed on the office floor” of a hotel, before driving through the night to find other accommodation.

“It was a very unique situation, but luckily we had a hire car there so we were able to drive away,” he explained.

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds return to UK after Greece wildfires

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves, scientists say

08:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Human-induced climate change is responsible for the historic heatwaves sweeping the planet from China to the United States, scientists have found.

The research conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), which was released on Tuesday, says the record-shattering heat in Europe and the US would have been almost “impossible” in a world without global heating.

The researchers, who analysed records in all three continents, said the likelihood of extreme heat in China, which recently recorded its highest-ever temperature at 52.2C, is now 50 times more likely due to the climate crisis.

Stuti Mishra reports.

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet

Tens of thousands of Britons face cancelled summer holidays

08:08 , Tara Cobham

Tens of thousands of Britons face having their holidays cancelled this summer as hotels in fire-ravaged Rhodes could be closed for at least the next couple of weeks, it has been reported.

Around 30,000 tourists have been left in limbo as tour operators are planning for possible further cancellations, according to The Times.

Greece battled to contain wildfires on the island of Rhodes for a seventh day on Tuesday, as hundreds of tourists who had been forced to evacuate in previous days were expected to fly back to their countries.

Some 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread and reached coastal resorts on the verdant island's southeast, after charring swathes of land and damaging buildings.

More than 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday, and more repatriation flights were expected on Tuesday. Tour operators also cancelled upcoming trips.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf large parts of Greek islands

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More evacuations were ordered as the week-long wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving local residents in scrambles.

Satellite images revealed the extent of devastation caused by the wildfire which has charred the central part of the island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Images from 20 July show smoke billowing from only a small part of the island, whereas the satellite pictures taken just three days later reveal a massive portion of scorched land in the central part of the island.

More here.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf Greek islands

Ryanair operating ‘full schedule’ to Greece

07:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ryanair is operating a “full schedule” to wildfire-hit Greece, including the battered island of Rhodes, as evacuation flights continue to bring back Britons.

“Airports remain open so we’re continuing to fly in there,” Neil Sorahan, the carrier’s chief financial officer told Sky News.

“We’ve got a number of customers who are keen to come home, some people still want to do down there so we’ll continue to fly in and out and as long as it’s safe to do so and as long as the airports remain open, we’ll be there.”

Other airlines such as Jet2, TUI UK and Correndon have cancelled flights to Rhodes at least till Friday 28 July.

Watch: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

07:24 , Tara Cobham

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds back in UK

07:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Palermo airport shut due to wildfire

06:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Palermo international airport was shut down overnight after a raging wildfire entered its perimeter. Temperatures in Palermo rose to a record 47C on Monday.

Wildfires spread through Sicily due to dry weather as Europe battles a severe heatwave this summer.

Firefighters on Monday deployed helicopters and a Canadair firefighting plane to dump water in parts of Sicily to bring the blaze under control.

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes?

06:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages across Greece after wildfires ravaged the country.

Videos of roaring fires and towering black smoke have circulated online from Rhodes and Corfu. However, wildfires have erupted across several areas including Evia and the Peloponnese region.

Maps show areas in Rhodes affected by raging wildfires:

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Wildfires kill 25 in Algeria

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Multiple wildfires in Algeria have killed at least 25 people, including 10 soldiers trying to bring the flames under control.

At least 1,500 people were evacuated as the wildfires moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions of the north African country, the interior ministry said.

The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel in the Kabyle region east of Algiers and Bouire, located nearly 100km southeast of Algiers.

More here.

Wildfires across Algeria have killed 25 people, including 10 soldiers who were battling the flames

Watch: Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

‘We saw flames coming over the hills,’ says British tourist

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ian Murison, a businessman from London on vacation in southern Rhodes with his wife and 12-year-old son, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires.“We saw flames coming over the hills,” he told the Associated Press.

“Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting. We all just took our cases and started walking. It was about 3km before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited — in the dark due to a power blackout — with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them away.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said. “It was very, very stressful.”

Satellite images show spread of wildfire in Rhodes island between 20 and 23 July

04:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Watch: Rhodes tourists awaiting evacuation sleep on airport floor

04:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘We are at war’, Greek PM tells MPs

03:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday announced “we are at war” and “completely focused on the fires” as wildfires continue to burn down parts of Rhodes, forcing more evacuations from the resort island.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we must remain on constant alert,” the prime minister said during a debate in parliament.

“The climate crisis is already here.”

Latest pictures show shocking extent of damage caused by wildfires in Rhodes

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

Hannah Cottrell reports:

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

Hundreds of holidaymakers have landed back in the UK following wildfires on Rhodes, with more repatriation flights set to take place.

As many as 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the popular Greek island, part of which has been ravaged by the blazes, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres.

Rishi Sunak has urged people to remain in touch with tour operators, some of which have begun sending repatriation flights to bring people back to the UK.

Tui confirmed that holidaymakers returned on “three dedicated flights” overnight, with plans to bring more back “as soon as possible” in place.

Ted Hennessey reports:

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

Is it safe to travel to Greece right now?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

The UK’s two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and Tui, have cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes for several days ahead. They are and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel on Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

From London Gatwick, easyJet has five flights to Rhodes on sale on Tuesday. But for those who no longer wish to travel, the airline is allowing free changes for passengers booked up to 29 July.

Three easyJet aircraft are also flying out empty to pick up UK holidaymakers wanting to come home early.

Simon Calder reports:

Greece wildfires: Is it safe to travel to Corfu, Zante and Rhodes right now?

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

Flights rescuing British holidaymakers in Rhodes have begun arriving in the UK, as wildfires ravage parts of the Greek island.

People have complained about a lack of information from travel companies on how the incident will affect them.

How have different firms responded to the emergency?

Ted Hennessey reports:

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a ‘big, big warning,’ says leading climate scientist

Monday 24 July 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Sir David King, one of the UK’s leading climate scientists, said tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a “big, big warning”.

He told PA: “If you are in one of these very warm areas and you haven’t got air conditioning indoors you could suffer terribly - many people will die from heat stress.”

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires in Rhodes and Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are scrambling evacuation flights to the wildfire-ravage islands of Rhodes and Corfu where up to 10,000 British tourists are stranded in a “living nightmare” as a fresh red alert is issued for Crete.

The two biggest holiday firms Tui and Jet2 have axed all flights to the island in the coming days after holidaymakers forced to flee their hotels had to sleep on floors in schools, airports and sports centres – but other firms, including Ryanair, Thomas Cook and easyJet continue to fly tourists who want to travel to Rhodes.

The popular destination of Crete was also placed under an “extreme” fire warning on Monday, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis telling parliament it must “be on constant alert” in the weeks ahead. He declared his country to be “at war” with the blazes and warned of three more “difficult days” before the extreme heat eases.

Simon Calder and Andy Gregory report:

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires on Rhodes and Corfu

British tourists forced to sleep in schools overnight as wildfires continue

Monday 24 July 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

A family from Dorset were forced to sleep at a primary school on Rhodes after ash began falling on the outdoor furniture at the villa where they were staying.

Martin, 55, Victoria, 51, and Hayden Bowrey, 19, left the villa in Lindos after getting an alert on their phones.

At Gatwick Airport Martin Bowrey said: “We had ash falling onto our furniture outside our pool and after a few hours the smoke was getting thicker and thicker. We couldn’t see flames at that stage.”

After the evacuation order the family drove around 40 minutes to the primary school.

Mr Bowrey added: “Some people were sleeping in school rooms. It was hot so I said to our family ‘we’ll go out to the courtyard’.

“There were loads of people just laid out on the floor so we found a few slabs each and settled down as best we could.”

The family later returned to the villa when an alert told them the area had become safe again.

Transport secretary gives update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:49 , Martha Mchardy

Transport secretary Mark Harper has spoken with airline companies and said he welcomes the additional flights they’ve scheduled to repatriate holidaymakers from Rhodes.

He tweeted on Monday: “This evening I spoke to British-Airways, TUIUK, jet2tweets, Ryanair and easyJet, to discuss their response to the Rhodes fires.

“I welcome the additional flights they’re putting on to help bring British travellers home safely.”

Travel Association ABTA issues update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:35 , Martha Mchardy

An ABTA spokesperson said: “ABTA is continuing to work with members to support customers affected by the wildfires in Rhodes.

“We understand that some of the resorts have had their evacuation order removed by the Greek authorities and people have been advised that they can return to the resorts of Lindos and Pefkos.

“Travel companies will be liaising with their accommodation providers to ensure that they are ready to receive customers and customers will be notified accordingly. More information is available at www.abta.com/rhodeswildfires.”

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 20:20 , Martha Mchardy

A father of two has been left £10,000 out of pocket after his family holiday to Greece was ruined by wildfires.

Chris Elworthy, 42, a farmer from Faversham in Kent, was supposed to fly with easyJet to Rhodes on Saturday with his wife Emma, 43, and children, Thomas, 13, and Charlotte, 11, to reach a private villa in Pefkos – but both bookings were cancelled.

The former Royal Engineers officer said easyJet is not “helping at all” with a voucher or another flight and the villa is refusing to provide a refund.

Jamel Smith reports:

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Watch live: Smoke billows over buildings as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 19:50 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as wildfires run rampant through the Greek tourist hotspot of Rhodes, in what is reported to be “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history.

The evacuation order in Rhodes came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes until Friday 28 July.

Around 10,000 British tourists are feared to be on the fire-scorched island, a minister has warned, as one holidaymaker who arrived to find their hotel had burnt down described the situation as a “living nightmare”.

Smoke billows as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Watch as Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

Monday 24 July 2023 19:20 , Martha Mchardy

One coach arrived for hotel of 1,200 people, says tourst

Monday 24 July 2023 18:50 , Martha Mchardy

Ian Murison, a businessman from London who was on holiday with his wife and 12-year-old son in southern Rhodes, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires on Saturday.

“We saw flames coming over the hills. Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting,” he said.

“There was no process in place. ... We all just took our cases and started walking, it was about three kilometres (nearly two miles) before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited - in the dark due to a power blackout - with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them off the beach.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said.

“It was very, very stressful.”

‘Miserable, worst week ever'

Monday 24 July 2023 18:21 , Martha Mchardy

Mark Payton, from Bristol, was critical of his tour operator and said his family had only managed to get back to the UK after taking a ferry from Rhodes to Kos and then finding a flight to Bristol.

“Tui were doing nothing for us at all - no offer of accommodation, no offer of flights or anything like that,” Mr Payton said at Bristol Airport.

“We took it upon ourselves to get ourselves home. We took a ferry from Rhodes over to Kos and found an easyJet flight from Kos back home.

“At 2am we were watching the red glow of fire coming over the mountains, but it was just not what we wanted from the holiday.

“The holiday operators... we’ve just come off the plane and my son was sat next to a couple and they flew out on the Saturday and as they landed they were told their hotel was already burnt down. I just don’t understand why they were even put on the flight to go.

“It is just devastation over there. You plan for these holidays, and it just feels like a real rubbish long weekend away.”

Another man, who was returning to the UK with his young family from Rhodes, added: “Miserable, worst week ever.”

Netherlands warns of travel risks for three Greek islands

Monday 24 July 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry warned of travel risks for the Greek islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia, moving the travel advisory colour code to yellow from green because of forest fires.

Climate change making wildfires in Mediterranean ‘larger, faster and harder to stop,’ says expert

Monday 24 July 2023 17:55 , Martha Mchardy

Prof Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science, Imperial College London, said: “The combination of heat, wind and people in the Mediterranean is mortal. There have always been wildfires in the South but climate change is making them larger, faster, and harder to stop.

“The intense heat of the summer dries vegetation and makes it very flammable, easier to catch fire. A heat wave or an unusually hot summer leads to even more flammable forests.

“Strong winds greatly accelerate wildfire. The combination of wind and dry vegetation makes wildfires much faster. They become walls of flames that cannot be stopped by ground crews or slowed down by airtankers.

“Large wildfires might jump over firebreaks because of the intense heat they radiate over dozens of meters, and the flying embers that can carry flames kilometres away.

“Poor management of forests leads to increased fuel loads, vegetation of the most flammable type, and few or narrow firebreaks. This is unfortunate, because fire safety and ecology require determined and wise management of the forest.

“When all goes wrong, when dry vegetation is plentiful, there is wind and previous forest management was poor, then the fire brigades cannot do much, and evacuation of communities along the possible fire path must be evacuated with plenty of time to reach a safe place.”

Mapped: Wind and temperatures in Greece on Monday

Monday 24 July 2023 17:40 , Martha Mchardy

British tourist says he knew wildfires were near when hot ash fell in his drink

Monday 24 July 2023 17:25 , Martha Mchardy

Dominic Doggett, 30, from Norwich, said he knew the wildfires in Rhodes were nearing when ash fell in his drink.

Speaking after landing at Gatwick Airport, Mr Doggett said: “We were sat having the wedding breakfast and you just sort of realised your glass of drink had a bit of hot ash in.

“At that point, we thought, yeah, maybe this might be affecting us more than we initially thought.”

New satellite images show scale of Rhodes wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 17:10 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Britons evacuated from Rhodes describe devastating wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:55 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple of honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:39 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

On Saturday, the couple was evacuated by coach from the Village Rhodes Beach Resort in Lindian Village, near Lardos, after she said the situation went from “zero to 100”.

Mrs Jones, a company director, told the PA news agency: “When we woke up [on Saturday], it had pretty much gone, it was clear sky again, it didn’t smell too bad, and we thought they had gotten it under control.”

Throughout the course of the day, she recalled how it “got worse and worse and worse again”, and said she and her husband decided to pack up their belongings, adding the hotel announced they were being evacuated “within 10 minutes” on Saturday.

“That’s how quickly it escalates, it was literally zero to 100,” she said.

“By the time we got our stuff and got to reception, which was probably another 10 minutes, everybody was at reception and you could see the fires.

“They had come over the hill, they were halfway down the hill, and everybody was just panicking.”

Mrs Jones has said she and her husband were “very lucky” as they have now managed to flee via a taxi to Faliraki in the north of the island, where they had planned to stay later in their trip.

“I’m finding it really hard to just switch off, I can’t stop thinking about it,” she added.

“I keep thinking of little things, like there was a little girl on the bus screaming to her mum, ‘I don’t want to die’.

“The kids were petrified because they could see the fire, it wasn’t a nice situation.”

Mrs Jones said as they fled they were given wet towels by the staff at the hotel because “the smoke had got so intense you could hardly breathe”.

While waiting for the coaches to arrive, Mrs Jones recalled: “When we got to the car park and you could see the fires getting closer and closer and closer, and the coaches weren’t turning up... that was really worrying.”

She added: “When we first got on the coach, that was the most scary because I thought, if that wind blows towards us, that fire is going to hit the coach.

“We had to drive through two or three fires on either side of the road, there was no way out, we had to drive through them.

“It was really quite traumatic driving to where we went because you could see everyone fleeing their hotels, and people were walking along the beaches, walking along the roads, and they had babies and small children.”

Wildfires seen from space

Monday 24 July 2023 16:23 , Martha Mchardy

Wildfires in Greece are visible from an International Space Station, a video shows.

Footage apparently taken from space shows smoke rising from areas in Greece.

‘Extreme fire risk' for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday

Monday 24 July 2023 16:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Crete has been placed under the highest warning level as fears grow the island could be the next victim of raging wildfires in Greece.

According to the Fire Risk Prediction Map issued by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection for tomorrow, there is an extreme fire risk - State of Alert (risk category 5) for the following areas:

• Region of Crete (Rethymnon Region, Heraklion Region, Lasithi Region)

• South Aegean Region (Rhodes Region)

There is a very high fire risk (risk category 4) for the following areas:

• Region of Attica

• Region of Central Greece

• North Aegean Region (Samos PE, Ikaria PE)

• South Aegean Region (Karpathos Region, Kalymnos Region, Kos Region)

• Region of Thessaly (P.E. Larissa, P.E. Magnesia)

• Region of Crete (Chania Region)

• Region of Peloponnese

• Ionian Islands District

• Region of Western Greece

Met Office boss hits back at claims weather maps are ‘being made scary’ as Europe burns

Monday 24 July 2023 15:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Met Office boss has hit out at claims from climate-change sceptics that weather maps are being “made scary” as Europe faces potentially record-breaking temperatures.

Greece is the latest to see the mercury top 40C, with the islands of Rhodes and Corfu hit by wildfires that have led to mass evacuations as the summer holiday season gets underway.

But Professor Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office, said there had been an “upsurge” in people denying the data behind such events as the severity of extreme weather intensifies.

Met Office boss hits back at claims weather maps are ‘made scary’ as Europe burns

Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Monday 24 July 2023 15:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Below we take a look at the Greek weather forecast for the upcoming days as wildfires have ravaged the country:

Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

Tui gives update

Monday 24 July 2023 14:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Tui spokesperson said: “Our teams in Rhodes have been working tirelessly to support customers impacted by the wildfires in south-eastern parts of the island and three dedicated flights brought our first customers safely back to the UK overnight.

“We have reps in all evacuation centres and we’re aiming to get more people home from the affected areas as soon as we can.

“We appreciate how distressing and difficult it’s been for those who have been evacuated and ask that they continue to follow the advice of the local authorities and keep in touch with our teams.

“We have cancelled all outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Friday 28th July, and have also cancelled all outbound flights for customers travelling to impacted hotels up to and including on Sunday 30th July.

“All customers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds.

“Passengers due to travel to areas not affected by fires on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July will be offered a fee free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund. We are still operating empty outbound flights to bring those customers currently on holiday elsewhere in Rhodes home as planned and working to get those in affected areas as soon as possible.

“The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remains our top priority.”

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 14:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages across Greece after wildfires ravaged the country.

Videos of roaring fires and towering black smoke have circulated online from Rhodes and Corfu. However, wildfires have erupted across several areas including Evia and the Peloponnese region.

Firefighters battled against 82 wildfires across the country overnight, forcing the “biggest evacuation” in the country’s history.

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Firefighters give water to rabbit rescued from Rhodes wildfire

Monday 24 July 2023 14:17 , Andy Gregory

Romanian firefighters have been pictured giving water to a rabbit saved from a wildfire burning on the island of Rhodes.

‘We would never have come’: British tourist lands in Rhodes to find hotel burnt down

Monday 24 July 2023 14:11 , Andy Gregory

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 told The Sun newspaper: “We landed and were told ‘Sorry, you can’t go to your hotel – it’s burned down’.

“We had no idea the fires were this bad or as close to the hotels as they were. Tui said nothing, not even when our flight was delayed. Even the captain’s chat on the plane was upbeat.

“We would never have come if we had known.”

Satellite images show Rhodes wildfires from above

Monday 24 July 2023 13:50 , Andy Gregory

Satellite images taken by the firm Maxar Technologies shows an aerial view of the smoke rising from Rhodes:

Tourists should view Greek wildfires as a ‘big, big warning’, says leading UK climate expert

Monday 24 July 2023 13:32 , Andy Gregory

Tourists planning trips to the Mediterranean should see the Greek wildfires as a “big, big warning”, one of the UK’s leading climate scientists has said.

Sir David King, former UK chief scientific adviser and chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, said many people will die from heat stress because of the relentless heatwaves over southern Europe, where millions of Britons travel on holiday each year.

Speaking to the PA news agency from another Greek island, Sir David warned tourists to take care in the heat, adding that he has “no doubt” that the extreme temperatures are due to melting ice in the Arctic caused by greenhouse gases emitted by people heating the Earth’s atmosphere.

He said: “If you are in one of these very warm areas and you haven’t got air conditioning indoors you could suffer terribly – many people will die from heat stress.

“You must have moving air – it makes an enormous difference. If there’s a large fan, preferentially a roof fan, that is moving the air in the room ... because moving the air helps to remove the perspiration from your body and keeps you cooler.

“I wouldn’t be too dogmatic about advice but, certainly, there’s a big, big warning this summer. To anyone planning to go overseas for the summer, ‘Be very careful’ would be my advice.”

Downing Street defends not discouraging Britons from going to Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Downing Street has defended not discouraging Britons from going to Rhodes after it sent a Foreign Office team to help holidaymakers amid fires.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our advice is focused on the safety of British nationals and enabling people to make an informed decision about the situation on the ground.

“The current situation is impacting on a limited area in Rhodes and whilst it’s right to keep it under review and it’s possible that the advice may change we do not want to act out of proportion to the situation on the ground.”

He said there are “not currently” plans to get the RAF to help people leave.

Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

This satellite image shows the area affected by wildfires in Rhodes, Greece on Sunday.

An eruption of wildfires has forced the “biggest evacuation in Greek history” as around 2,500 have been evacuated from Corfu.

‘Like a disaster movie’: Brit family in Corfu describe holiday horror and escape plan

Monday 24 July 2023 12:39 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A British family was forced to flee in the middle of the night as the wildfires ravaging parts of Greece broke out in Corfu on Sunday evening and came within metres of their holiday home.

Rebecca Bell, 50, of Sheffield, was among those who received an evacuation order via a text message overnight as dozens of blazes erupted on the western island, with more than 2,000 people moved to safety.

“It did feel like the end of the world yesterday,” she told The Independent from the village of Sinies, describing the intensity of the heat, “banks of flames” cascading down the hillside, and a “yellow glow of fire” in the sky.

‘Like a disaster movie’: Brit family in Corfu describe holiday horror and escape plan

Simon Calder: BA and easyJet still selling flights to Rhodes despite wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 12:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder has said it is extraordinary that a number of flights to Rhodes are still scheduled today, despite widlfires ravaging the Greek island.

Tourists have been forced to flee for their safety following the devastating fires, but some flights will still take off carrying British passengers to Rhodes today. The travel journalist also revealed many people with holidays booked are still travelling to Rhodes as normal, despite the warnings.

Jet2 has this morning announced it will operate three repatriation flights from Rhodes to bring customers back to the UK. The additional services are on top of the 50 plus scheduled flights operating between Rhodes and the UK up until Sunday.

Simon Calder: BA and easyJet still selling flights to Rhodes despite wildfires

German government convenes crisis meeting over Rhodes wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 12:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The German government is to convene a crisis meeting on Monday to discuss the impact of wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes on German holidaymakers, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.

Speaking during a regular news conference in Berlin, the spokesperson said the crisis meeting at 1100 GMT will allow the German government to “coordinate with our colleagues on the ground and then decide on possible further measures”.

An interior ministry spokesperson said that German federal police and fire fighters were already assisting Greek authorities in bringing affected people back to the mainland.

Fires burning since Wednesday have forced tens of thousands of tourists and residents to flee the island, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages.

In pictures: Fire rages in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 12:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Pictures show flames burning on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece.

Jet2 adds more flights to bring Britons back from Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British travel company Jet2 said it would operate three extra flights on Monday night to bring more of its customers back to the United Kingdom, after wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes left them stranded after they evacuated hotels.

Jet2 said repatriation flights to Manchester, Leeds Bradford and Birmingham would bring about 600 people home, on top of 50 Rhodes to UK services it already has scheduled this week.

The company said it was also flying out more staff to help assist customers who had to flee their resorts and are now camped out in evacuation centres or waiting at the airport.

“We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers,” Jet2 said in a statement on Monday.

There are about 7,000-10,000 Britons on Rhodes currently, according to a junior minister, and like Jet2, TUI and easyJet, are both putting on additional services.

EasyJet said it would have two repatriation flights on Monday and another on Tuesday, on top of its usual schedule of departures, and would keep under review whether it needed to add more.

Firefighters battle to contain 82 wildfires burning across Greece

Monday 24 July 2023 11:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Firefighters struggled through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started on Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.

Their efforts were without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.

The most serious fire was on the island of Rhodes.

Some 19,000 people had been evacuated from several locations on the island as wildfires burned for a sixth day, Greek authorities said.

Greece wildfires: Holiday and travel advice as Jet2 and Tui flights cancelled amid extreme weather

Monday 24 July 2023 10:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

Holiday firms Jet2, the UK’s biggest tour operator, and Tui both announced on Sunday they would be cancelling all imminent flights and holidays to Rhodes and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel ion Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

Holiday and flights advice as flights to Greece cancelled amid wildfires

Between 7,000 and 10,000 Britons currently on Rhodes, minister says

Monday 24 July 2023 09:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign office minister Andrew Mitchell has confirmed there are between 7,000 and 10,000 Britons currently in Rhodes.

Asked why the government is not telling holidaymakers to avoid the island, he stressed that only 10 per cent of Rhodes is affected by the 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,” he told Times Radio.

But, asked if he would go on holiday there at the moment, he said: “I think I probably wouldn’t. But the point is that if I had booked a holiday I would take advice and would also take advice from the tour operator.”

Asked about the government’s response, Mr Mitchell said: “We deployed immediately a rapid forward team of six experts from the British Foreign Office, as well as four Red Cross operators as well.”

And he said the British teams were being “sympathetic and supportive” of those without the necessary documentation, who may have lost passports or other files fleeing the fires.

British tourist evacuated twice

Monday 24 July 2023 09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British tourist Kevin Evans was evacuated twice on Saturday with his wife and three young children - first from Kiotari to Gennadi, then as the fire approached the island’s capital in the northeast, he told the PA news agency.

“There were lots of people in Gennadi sent from the hotels - many in just swimsuits having been told to leave everything in the hotel,” he told PA.

“As night fell, we could see the fire on the top of the hills in Kiotari. They said all the hotels were on fire.”

Rhodes travel agent Stelios Kotiadis told the Associated Press the evacuation was hasty.

“There was panic. ... The authorities were overwhelmed,” he said.

But, he said, the abandoned hotels “are in much better condition than reported in social media. ... They will be ready to reopen very soon if Civil Protection gives the go-ahead”.

Mr Kotiadis said he and other travel agents sent buses to the island’s southeast to pick up evacuated tourists.

They had to go the long way around because the road running down Rhodes’ eastern side was blocked in places.

“There were 80 to 90 people cramming into 50-seater buses,” he said.

He added that 90% of the evacuated tourists are from European countries.

Tui gives update for tourists in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 09:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Travel firm Tui has said holidaymakers have returned to the UK from Rhodes on “three dedicated flights”.

It said in a statement: “We’re now working hard to get everybody home safely, with our first passengers returning to the UK on three dedicated flights overnight and plans in place to get everyone affected back as soon as possible.

“We appreciate how distressing and difficult it’s been for those who have been evacuated and ask that they continue to follow the advice of the local authorities and keep in touch with the Tui reps who are present in all evacuation centres. Our teams will be contacting customers with any updates as soon as they can.

“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.

“We are still operating flights to bring those customers currently on holiday elsewhere in Rhodes home as planned.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and teams remains our top priority.”

Tourists forces to walk for miles to reach safety

Monday 24 July 2023 08:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In Rhodes, some holidaymakers said they walked for miles in scorching heat to reach safety. The fires left blackened trees and dead animals lay in the road near burnt-out cars.

Many tourists spent the night on the airport floor, waiting for repatriation flights. “It was quite a bit of a struggle on the beach with the smoke,” said John Hope, a tourist from Manchester, England.

Tour operators Jet2, TUI and Corendon cancelled flights leaving for Rhodes. Britain’s easyJet said on Sunday it was operating two repatriation flights on Monday from Rhodes to London’s Gatwick airport in addition to the nine flights already operating between the island and Gatwick.

The airline said it will add another repatriation flight on Tuesday.

Ryanair said on Sunday its flights to and from Rhodes were operating as normal. Its Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said the airline was monitoring the situation on Monday.

“We have a lot of customers there who want to get home. We’re not going to leave them behind so we’ll travel back in and out,” he said.

“It’s not necessary at this period in time (to put on more flights), we’re letting people book onto earlier flights.”

Watch: Rhodes tourists sleep on airport floor awaiting evacuation

Monday 24 July 2023 08:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tourists fleeing wildfires in Rhodes were forced to sleep on the floor for a second night in a row as they waited for evacuation flights.

British tourists describe fleeing for their lives from Rhodes wildfire: ‘It was hell on earth’

Monday 24 July 2023 08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A mother who says she experienced “hell on earth” was among the British tourists forced to flee Rhodes this weekend as fierce wildfires continue to rip through the Greek holiday island.

Officials on the island, which sits southwest of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, launched Greece’s biggest-ever evacuation operation as the blaze tore through vast swathes of land, threatening resorts popular with holidaymakers.

Tourists were forced to shelter in schools, sports stadiums, airports and alternative hotels as firefighters desperately fought to contain the flames, which officials fear may worsen on Monday as wind speeds more than double on the island.

‘It was hell on earth’: British tourists describe fleeing Rhodes wildfire inferno

Wildfires force tourists in Rhodes to flee

Monday 24 July 2023 08:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Wildfires burned across Greece on Monday, forcing people to be evacuated from a beach on the island of Corfu while tourists crowded an airport on Rhodes after thousands fled hotels and resorts at the weekend.

Fires burning since Wednesday on Rhodes forced the evacuation of 19,000 people over the weekend as an inferno reached coastal resorts on the island’s southeastern coast.

Rhodes and Corfu are among Greece’s top destinations for tourists mainly from Britain and Germany.

“We are in the seventh day of the fire and it hasn’t been controlled,” Rhodes Deputy Mayor Konstantinos Taraslias told state broadcaster ERT.

Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 08:05 , Stuti Mishra

Around 2,500 individuals have been successfully evacuated from Corfu, the Greek fire service has said, as evacuations continue in three islands.

Yannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the fire department, said some 2,466 people have been evacuated overnight, according to AFP news agency.

No houses or hotels have been impacted evacuated so far, he said.

59 people evacuated from Corfu by sea

Monday 24 July 2023 07:53 , Stuti Mishra

Sea evacuations have begun from Greece's Corfu to move individuals fleeing wildfires out of the island.

Around 59 people were evacuated from Nissaki beach on the northwest coast, the Greek Coast Guard has said.

The evacuation was carried out using six coast guard vessels and nine private vessels.

Tourists fleeing Rhodes inferno spend second night in airport

Monday 24 July 2023 07:50 , Stuti Mishra

Thousands of tourists and residents fleeing wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes took refuge in shelters and slept in airports, with many evacuated on private boats as flames threatened resorts and coastal villages.

Evacuations also begin in Evia

Monday 24 July 2023 07:31 , Stuti Mishra

Another Greek Island, Evia, has started evacuating people as more wildfires erupted after Corfu and Rhodes

Authorities told residents of four southern villages to evacuate to the town of Karystos.

Central Greece vice-governor Giorgos Kelaiditis, who was near one of the villages, told state agency ANA-MPA that the situation was difficult, according to The Guardian.

“The fire may be 2km away, but the wind is strong, the growth is low, the smoke thick and the air is hard to breathe,” he said.

UK airlines still selling tickets to Rhodes despite wildfire inferno

Monday 24 July 2023 07:10 , Stuti Mishra

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

Holiday firms Jet2, the UK’s biggest tour operator, and Tui both announced on Sunday they would be cancelling all imminent flights and holidays to Rhodes and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel ion Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has more:

UK airlines still selling tickets to Rhodes despite wildfire inferno

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website