ALBAWABA - Wildfires have been raging through Greece's most popular tourist destination, Rhodes Island, and are believed to be the worst natural disaster to strike the popular tourist destination in years.
Thousands have been evacuated as authorities warned that the battle to contain the flames, raging in the middle of peak tourism season, will take several days, France24 reported. At least 30,000 people were moved to safer spots as fires continue to rage through the island.
Fire department spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis warned in a statement that winds were set to become "more intense" through Sunday, which could further fan the flames. The statement reads: “The wind is expected to become more intense from 12 to 5 pm, without excluding the possibility that could happen earlier".
According to the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in Greece, no injuries have yet been recorded, and visitors are being evacuated safely from the affected areas of Rhodes, and are being redirected to other hotels on the island.
Four places in the southeast region of the island, near Kiotari and Lardos, have been evacuated, and at least 2,000 people have already departed the island.
Temperatures in Athens this summer may break the city's all-time high of 44.8 degrees Celsius recorded in June 2007. Many parts of the northern hemisphere have seen excessive heat, with Europe experiencing abrupt swings from one type of extreme weather to another.
Wildfires across Europe
Among the countries that suffered extreme heatwave is Italy, as the country witnessed record-breaking heat, with the capital Rome reaching a new high temperature of 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the country was swamped with terrible floods. In addition, thunderstorms struck the Balkans, causing several to lose their lives.
