The thick smoke prevents seeing the sky and the sun on the island of Rhodes (Greece), Monday July 24. Countless houses have been destroyed or threatened. Under a heat wave of 42°C with strong winds, the flames cross the roads. Firefighters are still unable to control the fire that has been ravaging Rhodes for a week. Only a few animals still roam. The damage is considerable. Many tourist infrastructures are destroyed.
More than 32,000 tourists evacuated
“We are facing a catastrophe where all the work and effort of our lives can be lost in a minute, in half an hour, it is tragic”laments a woman. More than 32,000 tourists were evacuated, the largest such operation ever carried out in Greece. Some are waiting for a plane to be repatriated, others are staying in a hotel and waiting. Still others have lost all their luggage in the fire at their hotel. 1,000 km from Rhodes, Corfu is also in flames.