RUSHED The British have angrily accused tour operators of dropping them off in Rhodes despite knowing it was being ravaged by bushfires.
Up to 10,000 are still waiting for news after wildfires engulfed their hotels on a Greek holiday island, with Corfu the last to evacuate tourists.
12
Evacuated tourists, including children, are forced to sleep on the airport floor as fires rage through RhodesCredit: Reuters
12
Tourists sunbathe at the Lindos Imperial Hotel before the fire breaks out.
12
The pool at the Lidos Imperial Hotel is just a charred heap of twisted metal and ash after being devastated by bushfires.
Some have spent more than 48 hours in hastily set up makeshift evacuation centers as hell spreads across the south coast.
Mercy flights began bringing them home yesterday, with more expected today.
But tourists have criticized airlines and tour companies for taking them to Rhodes in the first place.
Mother Jane Allen, 49, flew from Manchester with a group of TUI parcels on Saturday night as thousands of people on the island were ordered to flee.
She said: “We landed in Rhodes to create chaos and they told us that our village had been evacuated.
“They knew what we were getting into, how serious it was. How could they?”
Company director Mark Tonks, 57, said: “Why the hell were we allowed to take off when they knew what was going on?”
The easyJet pilot warned his 37 passengers of the potential danger before the plane took off from Gatwick to Rhodes on Monday.
He said traveling to the island for vacation was a “terrible idea,” explaining that return flights were operated by the military.
Eight passengers, including a tearful child, heard his sobering words about the tannoy and disembarked.
The tourists spoke as The Sun toured the burnt-out remains of the luxury beach hotels from which British tourists fled on Saturday.
The children’s playroom at the Princess Andriana resort has been transformed into burnt wood and twisted metal.
Stephen Banks, 38, who was evacuated from the hotel with his wife Naomi, 44, and their two children, Charli and Sienna, said he was surprised by how quickly the fire spread.
Last night, after arriving at his home in Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, he said: “Thank God we got out when we did. I can’t put into words how terrifying it was, not only for us but also for the children.”
Naomi, 44, added: “Our room faced the children’s area, it was very close to us. They told us to run as fast as we could. We left all the baggage behind.”
Before and after pictures of the Lindos Imperial Hotel showed the destruction caused by the fire.
Glystra’s huge beach bar, not far from Kiotari, was a smashed jumble of smoking wood and metal.
A 19-year-old local girl named Edisa said: “It was a scary experience for tourists, but it’s even worse for us because we live here. Everything burned down.” Kyriakos Sarikas, manager of the Lindos hotel, said: “It’s like a biblical disaster.”
The Sun witnessed the carnage along the coast, as the UK government faced calls to advise against “any non-essential travel to Rhodes”.
Greek policemen set up barricades as the fires continued.
We received special permission to film the impact of the forest fire, which displaced 19,000 people in hours.
As we drove south, we stopped at a lookout overlooking the town of Malonas.
Dozens of locals stared in horror as columns of thick black smoke billowed from the mountains beyond. Helicopters and planes worked in relay to extinguish the flames with seawater.
Gusts of wind, fanning the flames, stirred the gravel under our feet.
We continued into the valley and beyond, watching heroic firefighters battling the flames, and volunteers driving trucks to and from the fire.
Electric wires hung loose from burnt-out telegraph poles. Light poles were bent from the intensity of the flames. Burnt-out cars and dead ibex were left strewn on the side of the road, while rescuers managed to save some rabbits and other wildlife. The fire alarms in the destroyed cafes kept going off as the smoke hit our throats.
An officer at the barricade said: “The winds change the direction of the fire all the time.”
As blackouts plunged parts of the island into darkness last night, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned that “three difficult days” were ahead before temperatures dropped.
Last night TUI said it had canceled all flights to Rhodes until Friday. The evacuees accused the company of “abandoning” them.
Tourists were asked to decide whether they wanted to stay on the slim chance that they could continue their vacation or add their name to the return list.
One who decided to go home said she received a message that a bus would take her to the airport. The message arrived at 1:56 a.m., 16 minutes after the transport began.
12
The charred remains of the children’s playground at Princess Andriana ResortCredit: Darren Fletcher
12
Passengers on an easyJet flight on Monday were told a trip to Rhodes was a “terrible idea”Credit: Darren Fletcher
12
Sunny man Paul Sims stands where there used to be a playground Credit: Darren Fletcher
12
Exhausted emergency workers are seen resting Credit: Darren Fletcher
12
A helicopter drops water on the raging hell that engulfs large areas of Rhodes Credit: Reuters
A rapid deployment team from the Foreign Office is now on the scene as the British head to the airport in a desperate bid to get a flight.
Those lucky enough to return home on charity flights described the rescue operation as a “free for all” when they landed at Gatwick.
Last night the Association of British Travel Agents said: “We understand that the Greek authorities have lifted the evacuation order from some resorts and people have been advised to return to the resorts of Lindos, Pefkos and Kalathos.”
Bus operator National Express offers free travel to Greek tourists returning to another airport from which they departed.
Chief Chris Hardy said: “This is the least we can do to help.”
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLIGHTS TO GREECE
Author: Lisa Minot
In the Rhodes fires, tens of thousands of tourists were stranded or fleeing the flames.
The terrifying scenes will have a great impact on those who were going to visit the island.
And the news that Corfu, and now Crete, are also on fire, will worry even more.
Q: I am planning to visit Rhodes this week with a tour company. What is the situation?
A: Jet2 has canceled all trips to Rhodes until Sunday and affected customers will be given a full refund or rebooked. Meanwhile, TUI has canceled all travel until Friday and until Sunday for those visiting hotels in the affected region. EasyJet has also canceled all package deals until today.
Q: What if I booked my trip independently?
A: British Airways has a full schedule of flights to Rhodes, but offers customers the opportunity to change or postpone their bookings free of charge. Ryanair is flying as normal and anyone who doesn’t want to travel will lose money.
Q: Now in Corfu there are forest fires affecting tourist destinations, what if I travel there?
A: On Sunday, TUI told customers going to four hotels near the fire not to travel but to contact the company to discuss their options. Other tour operators have yet to cancel trips.
Q: I’m going to Greece soon, but I’m worried about the fires. Can I cancel and get my money back?
A: Unless the government issues an official advisory against all but essential travel to affected areas, you will lose money if you choose not to go on vacation.
Your safety is a priority
James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary
I WANTED Sun readers and others whose holidays were ruined by the fires to know that I really feel sorry for you.
Making sure you are safe is our top priority. We talk to the Greeks to make sure this happens.
We also want to make sure that airlines and travel companies do everything possible to get you home without any problems.
We have people helping the British at the airport and my team in the UK are working around the clock.
12
A firefighter rescues a cat and two rabbits from a fire between the villages of Kiotari and GennadiCredit: AFP
12
An aerial view shows the charred landscape at KiotariCredit: AFP
12
Holiday island burned by bushfires Credit: Darren Fletcher
12
Rhodes was decimated by the relentless flamesCredit: Darren Fletcher
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn