Greece is battling to contain the wildfires on the Rhodes Islands for the seventh day today, July 25. Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists who were evacuated in the previous days will be flying back to their countries.

Over the weekend, around 20,000 people had to leave their hotels and homes in Rhodes as the wildfire, which began to spread a week ago, reached the coastal resorts on the island's southeast, after spreading over swathes of land and damaging buildings.

Over 2,000 tourists returned home via flight on Monday and more repatriation flights are expected today. Tour operators have also cancelled upcoming trips.

Greece often witnesses wildfires during the summer. However, climate change has led to more extreme heatwaves across southern Europe, raising concerns that tourists will stay away.

Hundreds of firefighters, helped by forces from Slovakia and Turkey, battled to tame the blazes close to the villages of Gennadi and Vati in the southeast of Rhodes as the wildfires resurged in windy, hot conditions.

Wildfires also raged on the island of Corfu, off the west coast of Greece, and Evia island, near the capital of Athens.

"The fires have rekindled across the country but no settlements are being threatened for now," a fire brigade official told news agency Reuters.

The Greek islands are popular with sun-seeking holidaymakers from around Europe in the summer, particularly Britons and Germans.

TUI, one of the world's largest tour operators, has said it was cancelling trips to Rhodes through Friday and offering free cancellations or rebookings to other destinations. It said it had 39,000 customers on Rhodes as of Sunday evening.

The Dutch foreign ministry has issued a travel warning for Rhodes, as well as the islands of Corfu and Evia.

Greece has seen very high temperatures in recent weeks and the mercury was forecast to rise again through Wednesday, exceeding 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

Civil protection authorities warned of an extreme risk of wildfires in Rhodes and on the island of Crete on Tuesday.

Tourism accounts for 18 percent of Greece's output and one in five jobs. On Rhodes and many other Greek islands, reliance on tourism is even greater.

With inputs from Reuters

Also Read: What causes wildfires and why their alarming rise is worrying experts?

First Published:Jul 25, 2023 1:21 PM IST