The Greek Ministry of Civil Defense declared the evacuation of residents from the villages of Massari and Mallonas on the island of Rhodes as the fire broke through protective structures. They were instructed to move towards the eastern village of Archangelos, reports Euronews on July 25.
The forest fires on Rhodes have been ongoing for seven days, with fire fighting brigades and volunteers battling the flames in the villages of Gennadi and Vati in the southern part of the island. Fire Planes and helicopters were also utilised in the firefighting efforts. The Prime Minister of Greece stated in parliament that his country is in a state of "war" with the wildfires, noting that strong winds and successive heat waves have made it difficult to gain control.
"We have three difficult days ahead of us. According to our estimates, the heat will subside, but we must all remain in constant readiness... We are currently in a state of war, and we need to concentrate all our efforts on fighting the fires," said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.
Earlie Daryo mentioned that during the past weekend alone, 19,000 people were evacuated from Rhodes. The world's largest tour operator, TUI, announced the temporary suspension of flights to the island, and the British low-cost carrier Jet2 also made a similar decision.
Several European Union countries and Turkey have offered assistance to the authorities of Rhodes and other Greek islands and regions affected by the wildfires. On the night of July 24, evacuation was conducted on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people, including tourists, were moved to safety. Evacuations also took place on the island of Evia and in mountainous areas in southern Peloponnese. Hospitals and volunteers are providing first aid to those affected, primarily due to heat and dehydration.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with several embassies and diplomats, including those from the United Kingdom, have established an assistance point at Athens International Airport. Their aim is to help tourists who have lost their travel documents.
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