The Greek forest fires

The Greek forest fires One of the forest fires raging in Rhodes. Argyris Mantikos / AP  

 

The Greek forest fires

Tourist on Rhodes: "Felt like the end of the world"  

 

When the wind changed on Saturday, several fires on Rhodes took off and the situation quickly became serious, something that tourists on the island testify to.  

 

Iran Murison from London told Sky News it felt like "the end of the world" as the flames turned the sky red. Another Briton, Mark Cook, says it was chaotic when the family was evacuated from their five-star hotel. 

 

- We had to follow our instincts [...] Visibility was poor, smoke was inhaled and there were no directives. 

 

Swedish Joanna Alkemyr and her family have made it to a school in Rhodes town where they slept on the floor. 

 

- There is no AC, we have no access to running water and we have torn down curtains so that the children have something softer to lie on than a stone floor, she tells Aftonbladet. 

  

  

Rhodes. Lefteris Damianidis / AP  

 

Apollo, Ving and Tui cancel: "No funny news to give"  

 

The forest fires mean that tour operators Apollo and Ving cancel Sunday's trips to Lardos on the Greek island of Rhodes. 

 

- It's not a fun announcement to have to give the day before you go on a long-awaited holiday, says Anna Hagberg, press officer at Ving, to TT.  

 

It is unclear whether more trips will be affected in the next few days. The travel company Tui pauses the departures "at least today and tomorrow", writes Expressen.  

 

30,000 people are said to have been evacuated from the affected areas, of which just under 300 are Swedes.  

 

The rescue service tells the Greek news site Kathimerini that the intensity of the forest fires has decreased in two out of four places on the island.  

 

Tourists on the beach after being evacuated. Argyris Mantikos / AP  

 

The largest evacuation that Greece has carried out - but no one has been seriously injured 

 

19,000 people have so far been evacuated as a result of the forest fires on Rhodes. 16,000 have been moved by land, while 3,000 have been evacuated by boat. This is reported by AP.  

 

Greece's Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection states that it is "the largest evacuation ever" due to forest fires in the country. 

 

Few people have been injured in connection with the fires. Yesterday, six people were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties but could be immediately discharged, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Two have had to stay in hospital, a person who broke his leg during a hotel evacuation and a 31-year-old pregnant woman who is said to be fine but whose condition is being monitored. 

 

Figures on the exact number of evacuees have differed. Earlier it was reported that 30,000 were evacuated.  

 

The tour operators Apollo and Ving have canceled trips on Sunday. Tui cancels all trips until Tuesday.