Greece: Rhodes wildfire forces thousands to flee; Dozens of Dutch tourists affected

Many Dutch tourists are affected by the forest fires raging on the Greek island of Rhodes. According to Dutch tour operators, many dozens of Dutch tourists were evacuated and accommodated, for example, in sports halls. Overall, the forest fires have caused 30.000 residents and tourists to flee.

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Travel organization Corendon says that about 200 travelers are affected and have been taken to a safe place by the Greek authorities. Most of them are Dutch, but there are also Belgians and Danes among them. "They are given the choice to go to an alternative accommodation or fly back home," a spokesperson said.

Travelers who are on their way and have booked a place at the affected accommodations will be offered an alternative place. Furthermore, travelers heading to the Greek island soon will have the same option or can rebook their trip.

NOS reported that at least 30 Dutch tourists are in the affected area in D-Reizen and Prijsvrij. They will be taken to a place where they are safe. TUI has less than ten travelers in the area. In addition, tour operators are trying to fly the evacuees home, according to NOS.

For instance, north of Kiotari, three hotels have been destroyed by fire, including the hotel where Dutchwoman Alice Reumkens and her family were staying. However, she and her family were still able to save the most important belongings from their hotel room before they were evacuated. "All our stuff is still in the hotel room. We took what we could carry." Because they had to leave the hotel on foot in the heat, they had to leave their bags behind. "I quickly brought a phone charger, my passport, and some sunscreen," she told the broadcast.

Later, the Dutch family was collected on the beach along with hundreds of other guests, after which they had to wait for hours in a school. They are now on their way to the north of the island, where the family is taken care of in a hotel, NOS reported.

Firefighters have been battling forest fires on the Greek island of Rhodes for five days. While other forest fires in Greece are under control for now, the Rhodes fire continues to spread. The fires on Rhodes started in the forested, mountainous, and sparsely populated center of the island, but calls for evacuation are now reaching the southwest coast, as strong winds are fanning the flames.

Evacuations are recommended for parts of Kiotari and Lardos, among others, about 40 kilometers from the northern capital of Rhodes. Tourists are not in danger, according to local authorities. Greek media reported that guests at two hotels in Kiotari are being evacuated by bus.

Many European countries have sent firefighting aircraft and/or firefighters to help with the firefighting efforts. In Rhodes, Slovakian and Romanian firefighters are among those deployed. A Jordanian and an Israeli firefighter are also on duty. Greece is also receiving help from its big rival, Turkey. The latter has sent two firefighting planes and a helicopter. The two planes arrived at an air base near Athens on Saturday. Neighboring countries Greece and Turkey have a long history of mutual strife and mistrust. Turkey and Greece still have border disputes. Turkey has claims on fourteen Greek islands, including Rhodes.