Balkans | Forest fires in Greece continue into their seventh day: 2,500 people have been evacuated from Corfu

Forest fires in Greece continue into their seventh day. While tourists flocked to the airport due to the fires on Rhodes, more than 2,000 people were evacuated on Corfu.

It has been reported that nearly 2,500 people have been evacuated due to the ongoing forest fires on the Greek island of Corfu.

A spokesman for the fire department said that 2,466 people had been evacuated due to the intensifying fires in the north of the island, but no homes and hotels were damaged so far.

On the island of Rhodes, which has been battling wildfires since Wednesday, 19,000 people were evacuated over the weekend as the fires reached coastal resorts.

There was a crowd at Rhodes Airport as tourists flocked to escape the fires. The tourists spent the night at the airport, waiting for the return flight.

“We are in the seventh day of the fire and it is still not under control,” Rhodes deputy mayor Konstantinos Taraslias told state television. He said.

Airlines are taking action because of wildfires

Tour operators Jet2, TUI and Corendon have canceled flights to Rhodes. British airline EasyJet said on Sunday it would launch two more round-trip flights from Rhodes to London Gatwick airport on Monday, in addition to the nine flights currently operating between the island and Gatwick.

EasyJet announced on Tuesday that it will be adding another return flight.

Ryanair announced Sunday that flights to Rhodes will continue as normal. Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said the airline was monitoring the situation on Monday, saying: “We have a lot of customers who want to go home. We’re not going to leave them behind, so we’re going back and forth.” He said.

On Sunday, 59 people from the island of Corfu were evacuated from the beach by sea.

euronews