Greece fires – live: Tourists in Rhodes and Corfu evacuated as Croatia also battles wildfires

Croatia is battling wildfires as thousands of tourists have fled Rhodes and Corfu amid blazes ravaging Greece.

A firefighting plane is dropping water on a mountainside in Župa Dubrovačka in Croatia after a wildfire broke out last night.

Almost 100 firefighters are on the scene and several vehicles, according to reports.

It comes as 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread, while over 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday.

After the blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history, civil protection authorities warned of “extreme risk” of wildfires on the island of Crete, while around 2,500 people have already been evacuated from Corfu, which has been enduring dozens of blazes.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Monday the country was “at war” and said on Tuesday the next days would be difficult, with conditions possibly improving after Thursday.

Key Points

• Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed

• ‘Extreme fire risk’ for Crete and Rhodes on Tuesday

• Up to 10,000 British tourists on Rhodes due to ‘peak holiday season'

• Around 2,500 people evacuated from Corfu

• Chilling satellite image shows scale of wildfires in Rhodes

• Weather forecast for Greece as wildfires rage and second heatwave hits

• Almost 100 firefighters tackle wildfire in Croatia

Two dead in water-dropping plane crash in Greece

04:08 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece yesterday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country.

A state ERT TV video showed the bright yellow CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.

The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash.

Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for today and Greece’s armed forces declared three days of mourning.

Simon Calder’s latest advice on travel to Greece as wildfires rage

03:45 , Martha Mchardy

Southern Europe has found itself on the frontline of the climate crisis this summer, with the onset of an extreme heatwave bringing dangerously high temperatures to Italy and Spain and now raging wildfires to the hills of Greece.

The Greek islands have been a favourite destination for British holidaymakers for decades but this month has seen out-of-control blazes spark “the biggest evacuation” in its history from Rhodes while Crete, Corfu, Evia and Zante have also suffered devastating infernos.

Here’s what The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder has had to say about the evolving situation so far.

Simon Calder’s latest advice on travel to Greece as wildfires continue to rage

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

02:45 , Martha Mchardy

Michael Gove is going to Evia in a week despite Greek authorities evacuating parts of the island.

The housing secretary is visiting the island, off the eastern coast of mainland Greece, after it became caught up in the “nightmare” wildfires engulfing the country.

Mr Gove told Sky News: “I am planning to go to Greece in just over a week’s time.” He added that he was visiting Evia.

Asked whether he was worried about the raging fires, Mr Gove said: “No, I am not.

“I think it’s absolutely right that individuals should be able to go to Greece to enjoy their holidays,” Mr Gove added.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war'

01:45 , Martha Mchardy

Arsonists are being blamed for devastating wildfires that have swept through the Greek island of Corfu.

Corfu mayor Yorgos Mahimaris claimed on Monday that an arsonist started the fires which have sparked mass evacuations.

Mr Mahimaris came to the conclusion after visiting three locations where fires broke out on Mount Pantokratoras.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war’

Where are the Italy wildfires as temperatures rise to 47.6C on Sicliy?

00:45 , Martha Mchardy

Travel on and off the Italian island of Sicily has been disrupted after wildfires fuelled by extreme temperatures broke out.

Videos and photos show the fires ravaging the island holiday destination, including two of the main airports at Catania and Palermo.

Flames also threatened the ancient archaeological site of Segesta, which had to be closed temporarily to check for any damage.

Lucy Skoulding reports:

Where are the Italy wildfires as temperatures rise to 47.6C?

Voices: We are not just breaking heat records, we are smashing them

23:15 , Martha Mchardy

The extreme weather events witnessed across the globe have been predicted for decades. Climate expert Mike Berners-Lee explains how we got here – and what we should do about it.

Playing with fire: We are not just breaking heat records, we are smashing them

ICYMI: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

22:45 , Martha Mchardy

‘The smoke blocked out the sun like an eclipse’

21:45 , Andy Gregory in Rhodes

John Rennie, 49, a project manager from Southport, was catching a flight to Manchester with his wife Marie-Claire from Rhodes Airport as he recalled the smoke from the fires blocking out the sun like an eclipse.

The couple had travelled to Lindos on Saturday, a day before road access to the village was closed off due to high winds fanning the flames in unpredictable and devastating ways.

Despite seeing the thick, noxious smoke already “covering the sun” on Saturday, they said that they were ultimately only affected in a minimal way by power outages and water shortages.

Minimal, at least, in comparison with their host at Kremasti, whose family members lived in the area ravaged by the blaze, which tore through two of their homes.

“He was helping as a volunteer. There seems to have been a lot of community involvement, there seems to be a big community circle on the island helping each other,” Mr Rennie told The Independent.

People ‘pushed and shoved’ in water as they boarded rescue boats, says tourist

21:32 , Martha Mchardy

A mother said people were “pushing and shoving” in the water as they tried to clamber aboard rescue boats as fires raged on Rhodes.

Claire Pickett, her husband Golan Lambranzi and their two-year-old daughter Alice were evacuated from their hotel in Rhodes at about 7pm on Saturday night and taken in a truck to a nearby beach. A “military boat” then picked them up and took them to safety.

After arriving at Gatwick Airport on Tuesday evening, Ms Pickett, 37, of Sidcup, south-east London, told the PA news agency: “We could see the smoke all day coming from the hills but they said if it comes over the hills you may have to go home, and then once it got dark we could see fire on the hill.

“They knocked on the door and said pack a bag, you need to leave the hotel. No-one really knew what was going on. Everyone was trying to grab bags. It was chaos trying to get on the boats but I think that’s because people were scared. They were saying, ‘Don’t worry, we will take everybody’. By now it was probably 11, 12 at night.

“And then boats started to turn up but they were just local people, some were tiny boats, some were bigger boats. And then there was army boats. And it was just the case of jump on any boat you can.”

She added: “You just want to protect your children but she was good, she was in her pram, she fell asleep. The scariest bit was getting on to the first boat because you are just in the water and people were pushing and shoving, so it was just, we’ve got children, let us on the boat. But once I was on the boat I was fine.”

Ms Pickett said: “The locals were amazing, they came out in the night with the boats, they were offering food, drinks to everyone. We got this boat to the north of Rhodes, we didn’t know where we were going. Because we had a child they took us straight on a coach and we ended up in a school on the floor. They (gave us) sleeping bags, nappies, wipes for the babies, the locals were amazing.”

She added: “It was close enough that you could see it (the fire). It was smoky, it was hot, hot air blowing. I personally never thought I was going to die, I wasn’t worried about that. I was glad they evacuated us. It was scary, we didn’t know where we were going or what was happening, but I never feared for my life. It wasn’t nice but they did well in what was a chaotic situation.”

‘You still want to go on holiday at the end of the day,’ say British tourists travelling to Rhodes

21:15 , Andy Gregory in Rhodes

Hugh and Catriona, two 21-year-old university students at Southampton and Bath, and Paul, a 51-year-old teacher were both travelling as part of a family of six – having previously been forced to cancel a trip together to Rhodes during Covid.

“To be fair it has been quite a stressy two or three days, but we are quite north in the island so hopefully aren’t affected,” said Hugh. “There’s moral issues isn’t there, but you still want to go on holiday at the end of the day. Maybe [we’re] being a little bit selfish, but oh well.”

Paul said he had been speaking to one hotelier in the south who told him that “the damage hasn’t been very extensive and as soon as the authorities allow them to they’re ready to open the business again”.

Asked if they felt prepared were things to take a turn for the worse, Hugh added: “Not really, no. You take the risk. We understand that it’s a risk going on holiday, but we want to go on holiday, so [we’re] maybe putting that to the back of the mind a little bit.”

Joking that they “called the board together” for a meeting late at 11pm last night, the family said they decided to see whether their plane was cancelled or not.

“You can’t make a concrete decision when you don’t know what’s going on,” said Hugh, with a van booked to take them to the airport at 4am putting further pressure on them to decide whether to take the trip, which marked the first time they had all been away together in at least three years.

Noting that “there’s more [people] than I thought on the flight”, Paul added: “A lot of people haven’t had a choice, have they? Because if you’ve booked a package and it’s been cancelled, it’s out of your hands. Whereas we’ve booked separately, so our flights weren’t affected.”

‘As long as we get a holiday, that’s all that matters'

20:45 , Andy Gregory in Rhodes

Rosie, a 32-year-old office manager, and Alex a gas engineer, were travelling also travelling to Kallithea with their son Finlay, aged 11, for a holiday they had booked in April.

“I think we’re one of the lucky ones, aren’t we,” said Rosie, before Alex interjected: “Well, hopefully yeah, we’ll see.”

Having both been nervous over the past few days, Rosie said: “Up until last night, it was like ‘are we going, are we not?’” But after speaking to their holiday rep and a friend who works for easyJet who “said half of Rhodes is absolutely fine, there’s no smoke, nothing”, they felt reassured enough to travel.

“There’s no point not [going]. If it’s s*** when you get out there … it’s only the way back that’s going to be drama. Getting on a plane that’s not going to be our plane about three days later,” Alex said, prompting laughter, with Rosie adding: “As long as we get a holiday, that’s all that matters.”

He said he was mainly nervous for Finlay at first, adding: “But life goes on, doesn’t it. And no one’s died out there. It’s different if people have died, but no one’s died out there so why not take the risk? Simple as that.”

Alex added: “The media tell you what they want to show you to put people off. Showing people at the airport with ash all over their suitcases, that’s from people who were clearly near the fire.”

British tourists explain why they are still holidaying in Greece

20:15 , Andy Gregory in Rhodes

“We were absolutely [worried],” said Richard Hamilton, a 54-year-old company director from Guernsey, who was travelling with his daughter, who had been taking part in a golf competition in Winchester. The pair were meeting the rest of their family at Kallithea, who arrived there the night it “actually kicked off”.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on the news and everything, but it’s really difficult because it’s quite a big island. For us in the UK, you forget how big it is .... We’ve been really careful, we’ve got a close friend who’s kept an eye on it for us, so we’re not too concerned at all.”

Those travelling on easyJet flight 8229 all appeared to be staying in the north of the island, however, and felt conditions were safe enough to travel there and take their chances despite the “nightmarish” reports of people fleeing miles along beaches on the island to escape walls of flame just days earlier.

Noting that their family already in Kallithea “would have come home if they were worried”, Mr Hamilton said he hoped they would be able to relax over their eight-day stay, adding: “It’s going to be hot there but it seems like everything is okay, so we’ll see how we go when we get there.

“The airport might be a bit chaotic but apart from that it should be fine.”

Tourist describes ‘frightening’ and ‘terrifying’ experience as they flee fire-ravaged Rhodes

19:56 , Martha Mchardy

A mother has told of her family’s “terrifying” experience fleeing fire-ravaged Rhodes.

Clare and James Gorick and their sons Harry, 13, and Wilfie, 10, landed at Gatwick Airport on Tuesday night after they were forced to fly home three days into their week-long holiday.

Ms Gorick, 46, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, told the PA news agency: “We were meant to be staying in a villa in Kalathos but we didn’t stay a night there because we were evacuated two hours after arriving. We went out to the supermarket and then weren’t allowed back so we had to stay in an apartment in the city on the first night and then we were told we could go back, which we did, but we were only there for an hour, there was smoke everywhere, ash everywhere, and then we heard sirens and police shouting for us to get out again.

“And you could just see the fire coming towards us. So we went and stayed, fortunately somebody linked to the company that we’d booked through, James Villas, they found us some accommodation for a night, and then we got any flights we could back to the UK because we were told we couldn’t get back to the villa at all.

“It was really frightening, a huge amount of smoke. At one point you couldn’t see any of the mountains in the distance because the smoke was so bad and then the flames, once it got dark you could see the flames.

“Lots of locals were really upset. There was lots of tears, people crying as they were driving off. Hundreds of coaches coming towards us to pick up people from the villages, they were absolutely packed. I’ve just sat next to somebody on the plane who said their hotel burnt down and they were sleeping in a hotel lobby for three nights and her mother had ended up in hospital because of smoke inhalation.

“Very, very upset for the children mainly. We were due to be there for seven days, we were only there for three. It was terrifying to see how quickly things were being ruined. It was really sad to see and sad to see how the locals how they were reacting to it.”

‘We were watching the fire coming over the mountain’

19:45 , Andy Gregory in Rhodes

A woman on holiday with her three young children has described “watching the fire coming over the mountain” ahead of a “chaotic” evacuation from the path of the blaze.

Jodie Sutton, 31, from Southport, told The Independent as she waited for a flight from Rhodes International Airport Diagoras: “I want to get off the island as soon as possible.”Describing the Greek locals as “amazing”, she criticised TUI as having been “shocking”, as their party of seven was evacuated on Saturday.

“We got taken to a school in Archangelos, then that was in danger, so we had to move from there too, to Rhodos,” said the full-time mother to a one, two and seven-year-old.

“We were in a school, we had to sleep on the floor in a basketball court. The kids got blankets. The [volunteers] were amazing, we got food, everything.

“Tui told us nothing. Jet2 told us nothing. We ended up phoning the fire brigade, the police and the British government and Greek government last night, and they said, ’stay where you are, you are safe’.”

Describing the terrifying moments prior to their escape, she said: “We were watching the fire coming over the mountain. It didn’t get too close, we were out of there.“[The evacuation was] chaotic, we were rammed on a coach with hundreds of people. It was hot and sweaty, and I’ve got three young kids with me.”

'My life stopped': local people say they lost all in Greece wildfires

19:26 , Martha Mchardy

Standing outside the blackened shell of what used to be his restaurant, Dimitris Hajifotis laments a livelihood lost to wildfires raging on the Greek island of Rhodes this week.

“My life now stopped,” he said. “Everything is taken by the fire.”

Inside his destroyed business in the coastal village of Gennadi, stacks of plates are covered in ash and debris near a burned-down kitchen.

The wildfires on the Aegean island have been burning for a week, forcing 20,000 people, most of them tourists, to flee in the scorching heat over the weekend, some on foot, others by sea as the nighttime sky turned an apocalyptic orange.

The flames swallowed up trees, burned cars, damaged homes and hotels and left animals dead in the streets.

About 10% of the island’s land area had burned, according to the Greek state broadcaster ERT, but the scale of the destruction has yet to be officially recorded.

For the residents of Rhodes, which like most Greek islands depends heavily on tourism for jobs and income, the scars run deep.

“I do two jobs. One is the restaurant, the other is that I am a farmer. All my fields, now it’s nothing, just black,” said Hadjifotis, who spent the winter renovating his business.

“We don’t know from where to start now. We don’t have money to do something to rebuild the restaurant.”

“We don’t expect anything big. But we wait,” Hadjifotis said. “We want the fire to stop. Not other houses to burn, not other restaurants, not other fields,” he said.

Summer wildfires are common in Greece but a record temperatures in recent weeks have worsened conditions. A heatwave is forecast to persist this week with temperatures set to exceed 44 Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit) in some areas.

As more than 2,000 holidaymakers have been flown home to safety since Monday, for the locals left behind, the road to normality will be long.

Lefteris Laoudikos, whose family owns a small hotel in the seaside town of Kiotari, worries the fires will keep visitors away.

Their hotel was ravaged by the blaze, and father, cousin and two others spent the night trying to save their property using a nearby water tank as they waited for assistance.

Wildfire in Spain’s Gran Canaria island menaces villages

19:15 , Martha Mchardy

A rapidly-spreading wildfire that broke out at the centre of the Spanish island of Gran Canaria on Tuesday forced the authorities to remove several hundred villagers from their homes, shut three roads and deploy helicopters to contain the blaze.

A Reuters witness said the flames affecting the hilly central part of the island near the Tejeda peak, away from the beaches popular with tourists, were just metres from an array of antennae on a mountain top, some of them linked to air traffic control.

However, Spanish airports operator AENA told Reuters, however, the Gran Canaria airport on the eastern coast was operating normally.

“The fire has escaped the initial efforts to control it... We are working intensely to prevent it from spreading,” local emergency services chief, Federico Grillo, told Radio Canarias.

Antonio Morales, head of the Island Council of Gran Canaria, told reporters about 100 firefighters and nine aircraft were working to put out the blaze that has so far burned through 200 hectares of forest but no buildings have been harmed.

One of the evacuees near the village of Cuevas Blancas, Jose Ramon Henriquez, told Reuters he had smelt the smoke around midday and called the emergency services.

“They told me they were already there trying to put the fire out but two hours later it broke out of control,” he said.

In pictures: Debris from plane crash that killed two pilots

18:44 , Martha Mchardy

Tourists flying into Greece inferno reveal why they refuse to cancel holiday

18:30 , Martha Mchardy

British tourists on an easyJet flight to Rhodes have said they refuse to let wildfires ruin their holiday - despite thousands heading back home from a ‘holiday hell’.

Speaking to The Independent at Gatwick Airport departure gate for the 9:35am flight to Rhodes on Tuesday morning, holidaymakers said that while they had “absolutely” been worried by the reports from Greece, “you still want to go on holiday, at the end of the day”.

The wildfires ravaging the south of the island have sparked Greece’s largest-ever evacuation effort, with many airlines now offering refunds or ticket exchanges to customers due to fly out – as a lack of Foreign Office advice against travel to Rhodes leaves others at the mercy of their insurance companies.

Andy Gregory reports:

Tourists flying into Greece inferno reveal why they refuse to cancel holiday

Watch moment plane fighting blaze in Evia crashes as two pilots die

18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Video shows Rhodes hotel before and after blaze

17:30 , Martha Mchardy

Shocking footage shows a luxury hotel before and after devastating wildfires broke out in Greece.

Sarkawt Fairouzi filmed video showing holidaymakers enjoying the sun by the pool at the Lindos Imperial in Rhodes.

Further footage shows the burnt remains of sun loungers and umbrellas after the blaze.

The tourist and his family were staying at the five-star hotel when fires broke out.

Fairouzi, from Sweden, said: “Every morning we would wake up and ash would be falling from the sky.

“Everyone was there: children, families. The smell of burning wood was really strong.”

Sarkawt and his family were evacuated on 21 July to a nearby town.

They returned two days later.

Greece wildfire: Video shows Rhodes hotel before and after blaze

Watch: Rhodes residents join wildfire fight with shovels, tree branches, and towels

17:10 , Martha Mchardy

Thomas Cook issues update as tourists evacuated

16:45 , Martha Mchardy

Travel company Thomas Cook said all its customers who were evacuated from Rhodes’ south east coast over the weekend have now returned home or will do so tomorrow.

The company also said people wishing to travel to non-affected parts of the island up to and including 31st July will be offered a refund.

A spokesperson for the company said: “All of Thomas Cook’s customers [around 50] who had to leave their hotel in Kiotari and Lardos on Rhodes’ south east coast over the weekend have now returned home or are doing so tomorrow.

“We want to thank them for their patience and understanding during the past few days. In addition, we have issued full refunds for customers who had booked to stay in those areas up to and including 31st July.

“Thomas Cook customers who choose to do so, continue to arrive for their holidays on other parts of Rhodes well away from the affected areas and are enjoying their time on the island.

“For now, however, we recognise that there are some concerns about holidaying in Rhodes, and so we are extending our offer to customers travelling to non-affected parts of the island for departures on Thursday 26th July.

“Should those customers no longer wish to travel to Rhodes they can amend their holiday to a different destination or departure date or receive a full refund.”

Rescue operation underway for two Airmen after plane fighting wildfires crashes in Greece

16:38 , Martha Mchardy

A rescue operation is underway for two pilots flying a plane that crashed over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens after attempting to fight a wildfire.

The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system.

A General Air Staff spokesman said: “On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 14:52, a CL-215 aircraft, with a crew of two Airmen, of the 355th Tactical Transport Squadron of the 112th Fighter Wing, crashed during aerial firefighting in Platanistos, Evia.

“A search and rescue operation is underway for the two Airmen. 1 Super Puma helicopter and 1 AB-205 Air Force helicopter have rushed to the area.”

Greek minister of national defence, Nikos Dendias, said: “The loss of the lives of Air Force Officers and firefighting aircraft operators, in the line of duty and while attempting to protect the lives and property of citizens, as well as the environment of our country, is deeply saddening.

“Our thoughts are with their families and colleagues, to whom we extend our most sincere condolences.”

French firefighters battle wildfire close to Nice airport

16:33 , Martha Mchardy

Several dozen firefighters were using aircraft to battle a wildfire that had broken out in the French municipalities of Cagnes-sur-Mer and Villeneuve-Loubet, close to Nice international airport, officials said on Tuesday.

The fire affected an uninhabited area close to a highway, a local town hall official told Reuters, adding he was unaware of any evacuation measures for now.

Highway and rail traffic was interrupted, Nice police said on social media network X, formerly Twitter. Officials at Nice airport were not immediately available for comment.

Extreme weather throughout July has caused havoc across the planet, with record temperatures in China, the United States and southern Europe sparking forest fires, evacuations, water shortages and a rise in heat-related hospital admissions.

The Provence-Alpes-Cote-d’Azur region, home to large cities like Marseille, Nice and Aix-en-Provence, was being closely watched on Tuesday, amid the prevalence of high temperatures and strong winds in an area historically prone to wildfires.

The Bouches-du-Rhone department on Tuesday was placed under a “red alert”, with authorities seeing a “very high risk” of wildfires.

There were several fire outbreaks in southeastern France on Tuesday afternoon, and authorities closed access to parks and markets to minimise the risks to residents, according to a report in Local media Nice Matin.

Storms kill two in northern Italy as government readies state of emergency

16:20 , Martha Mchardy

Italy suffered a twin pounding from the elements on Tuesday when severe storms battered the north, killing a woman and a 16-year-old girl scout, while southern regions sweltered under a heatwave that has pushed temperatures towards record highs.

The government was preparing emergency measures to help regions hit by the extreme weather, with the northern region of Lombardy, which includes Milan, estimating damage of over 100 million euros ($110 million).

The overnight storm in Milan tore off roofs and uprooted hundreds of trees, blocking roads, smashing parked cars and disrupting overground transportation.

“It all happened around 4 or 5 AM this morning, it was very short but very intense, it knocked down several trees...with the wind gusts they took off and broke up,” witness Roberto Solfrizzo, 66, told Reuters.

In the northern Monza and Brescia provinces, a woman and the 16-year-old girl were killed after being crushed by falling trees, while a teenager was seriously injured when he was hit by a falling branch in the Veneto region.

Tourist attractions also bore the brunt of the bad weather, as the Sforza Castle was shut after some tiles were brought down and rain was heavy enough to penetrate the glass-vaulted Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan’s famed shopping arcade.

In other parts of Italy, the heatwave engulfing southern Europe maintained its grip, with 16 Italian cities on red alert on Tuesday because of the high temperatures.

A 98-year-old man, who was bedridden, was killed in the southern region of Calabria when fire consumed his home, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

Nello Musumeci, the civil protection minister, told SkyTg24 the cabinet was ready to listen requests from regions to declare a state of emergency, and urged all residents to exercise caution.

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

“It is one of the most difficult days that Italy has experienced in recent years from a climatic and civil protection point of view ... The force of nature tends to overwhelm that of the man,” said Musumeci.

LNER to offer free travel to tourists returning to the UK from Rhodes or Corfu

15:59 , Martha Mchardy

Train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is offering free travel to holidaymakers returning to the UK from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu.

It said standard travel along the east coast route will come at no cost for anyone who lands at a different airport from their home location or has to travel on a different day.

Customers should present their stamped passport and airline boarding card confirming travel from the islands within the previous 24 hours to use the service between Tuesday July 25 and Monday August 7.

David Horne, of LNER, said: “We recognise this is a difficult time for many people in Greece as wildfires continue to grip the islands of Rhodes and Corfu.

“At LNER we feel it is the right thing to do to assist those people returning to the UK to make their way home.”

easyJet responds after reports pilot told passengers flying to Rhodes a ‘terrible idea'

15:57 , Martha Mchardy

Airline easyJet has responded after reports one of its pilots told passengers travelling to Rhodes was a “terrible idea,” leading to some getting off the plane just before take off from Gatwick.

The pilot reportedly told passengers over the Tannoy before take-off: “Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea. As far as I’m concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis. Return flights are now being managed by the military. If you want to get off flight, you are welcome to do so.

“I don’t know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is it’s a bad idea.”

The airline told The Independent that passengers were not warned to get off the aircraft by the pilot, and denied the pilot said it was an emergency flight.

EasyJet said one passenger chose to disembark before departure after finding out their accommodation was no longer available before another group of passengers said they no longer wished to travel.

An easyJet spokesperson said: “Customers are advised to follow official FCDO advice. For Rhodes this has not changed and our schedule continues to operate. As we understand that some customers travelling to the affected area may want to change their plans we have put in place a flexible policy for customers travelling to Rhodes in the coming days with the option to change their flights for free to another date or request a flight voucher for the value of their unused flights if they no longer wish to travel.”

“We know the situation for many currently in Rhodes is very difficult and we are doing all we can to help customers and provide assistance.

“easyJet has been operating repatriation flights from Rhodes to Gatwick in addition to our scheduled flights.”

Pilot says ‘I wish you all luck’, as easyJet plane brings tourists to Rhodes

15:50 , Andy Gregory

Plane-loads of tourists are continuing to fly to Rhodes despite wildfires on the Greek island which have forced the largest evacuation in the country’s history.

Save for a little turbulence over Austria, the mood was mostly jovial on easyJet flight 8229 from Gatwick Airport on Tuesday morning.

Despite just 44 of the 85 intended passengers opting to travel, the vast number of empty seats went largely unnoticed, with one passenger remarking happily about the rarity of having enough space on a plane.

“I’m sure you know it is hot,” said the pilot as he began the descent, adding: “We all wish you luck in Rhodes whatever the reasons are for you taking this flight out there today.”

Firefighting planes which have been tackling the wild blazes in the south of the island sat on the tarmac as the easyJet flight rolled into its bay for passengers to disembark, before returning to Gatwick with a packed flight of 186 people.

Holidaymakers scoop water out of the pool to tackle wildfires

15:47 , Martha Mchardy

German tourists were seen taking water from a swimming pool of a hotel in an attempt to put out wildfires on Rhodes.

Holidaymakers attempted to extinguish a fire near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, taking water from a swimming pool and the sea.

It comes as tens of thousands of people were forced to flee the Aegean island as wildfires burn.

Watch live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

15:39 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as wildfires continue to rage on Rhodes on Tuesday 25 July.

More British holidaymakers are due to return to the UK from the fire-ravaged Greek island, as repatriation flights continue.

Hundreds of people have already landed at British airports after parts of Rhodes went up in flames, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres before finding a way home.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell estimated on Monday morning there were as many as 10,000 Britons on the island but the department later said it would not be providing updates on the number of people repatriated.

Oliver Browning reports:

Watch live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

Almost 100 firefighters tackle wildfire in Croatia

15:37 , Martha Mchardy

Croatia has become one of several countries across Europe battling wildfires.

A firefighting plane is dropping water on a mountain side in Župa Dubrovačka in Croatia after a wildfire broke out last night.

Almost 100 firefighters are on the scene and several vehicles, according to reports, as the fire continues to burn.

The west side of the fire is under control, according to reports, and firefighters are now concentrating on the east side, towards the region of Konavle.

Government should ‘rethink’ its Rhodes travel advice, says Labour

14:56 , Kate Devlin

Labour has suggested the government “rethink” the advice it is giving travellers over Rhodes, amid concerns cancellations may not be covered by insurers.

Labour leader in the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon said the “lack of advisory” from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is “not helpful”.

The FCDO has not formally told holidaymakers not to travel to the island and instead is advising they check with their travel operator.

Lords deputy chief whip the Earl of Courtown said ministers recognised that some travel companies do use FCDO advice.

But he added: “Our travel advice is focused on ensuring the safety of British nationals and is designed to give people the detail they need to make an informed decision.”

Lady Smith said the minister should “rethink this matter”.

She said the “Government’s advisory is not helpful - or lack of advisory - to those who are not sure if they should fly this week or not, or what the financial consequences could be.”

Lib Dems accuse PM of ‘missing in action’ as wildfires burn in Rhodes

14:41 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak has been urged by the Liberal Democrats to call an emergency meeting in response to the wildfires in Rhodes.

The party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran said: “While thousands of British holidaymakers are impacted by the wildfires on Rhodes, Rishi Sunak has shown a failure of leadership.

“The prime minister needs to take action and urgently convene an emergency Cobra meeting to help holidaymakers.

“The Government must also immediately change the Foreign Office advice to essential travel only, which will enable the thousands of British tourists due to fly to Rhodes to safely cancel their holidays without being left out of pocket.

“Holidaymakers are being let down by this Conservative Government and a prime minister who is missing in action when they need him.”

‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes

14:27 , Martha Mchardy

Two people have been confirmed dead after a plane fighting the wildfires in Greece crashed, according to reports from the BBC.

The accident occurred over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning for several days.

Local media reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the small plane plummeting to the ground and exploding after dropping its cargo over the blaze.

Holly Evans reports:

‘Two dead’ after plane fighting wildfire in Greece crashes

Watch moment plane fighting wildfires in Evia crashes

14:24 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Tourists lounge near pool as wildfires rage in Rhodes

14:21 , Martha Mchardy

British tourist tells of ‘traumatic’ escape from hotel that ‘caught alight hours later’

14:15 , Tara Cobham

A British tourist has spoken of a “traumatic” escape from her hotel in Rhodes, which she was told was hours later caught alight in the wildfires spreading across Greece.

Demi Kemp, 25, of Essex, said she was having lunch at her hotel in the village of Kiotari on Saturday surrounded by falling ash, growing clouds of smoke, and a smell similar to a bonfire when her boyfriend received an evacuation alert on his phone. Shortly after, the power cut and fire alarms started going off.

“People started to panic,” Ms Kemp, a legal PA, told The Independent. “People were running everywhere. We started seeing staff crying and that’s when we thought, ‘Oh, this is bad.’ It was traumatic.”

The hotel evacuated and many walked two hours in “unbearable heat” to another hotel, she said. “There were kids screaming. People were passing out and stopping because they had cramps in their legs. Locals were bringing out hoses to spray and cool people down. I was still in my bikini and beach cover-up.”

At the hotel on Gennadi Beach, the group was given food and water. Ms Kemp said the army turned up and started transporting people, while local residents were “piling people up in cars”.

Next, she managed to get a coach to a nearby school, where people were laying on cardboard to rest and black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky.

From here, Ms Kemp rallied a group of 80 people and a coach driver offered to take them to the airport for free.

She described the airport as “frantic”, with everyone scrambling to try and get on the few, already overbooked flights. Luckily, her group of four bagged seats on a 4.30am flight on Sunday. She said, “It was the quietest flight I’ve ever been on. When we took off you could see the blaze out the window.”

They made it home at 9am. Ms Kemp said: “It was like an out-of-body experience. I remember feeling the heat and seeing the fire and thinking we were not going to make it home at one point. The weather was just getting hotter and the wind was spreading the flames.”

Minister reiterates warnings Greece fires are ‘wake-up call' on climate change

14:00 , Kate Devlin

A UK government minister reiterated warnings that the Greece fires are a “wake-up call” on climate change as he said individual holidaymakers had their own “choice” to make about whether or not to travel.

The Earl of Courtown resisted calls for the government to change its travel advice, amid warnings it limits whether consumers can get refunds on their holidays.

He told peers the situation in Rhodes was “stabilising” and there were no plans to repatriate holidaymakers from the island as Rhodes airport was operating normally.

The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of six staff and four British Red Cross responders to the airport, he said.

He added: “Every individual has their own choice of where they go on holiday. I will be staying at home over the next six weeks”.

Travel expert Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions at virtual event

13:45 , Tara Cobham

As the long summer break begins for many our expert travel team are preparing to answer your questions on how to best tackle the coming weeks.

Travel editor Helen Coffey will be hosting the discussion and she will be joined by our renowned travel correspondent Simon Calder and deputy travel editor Ben Parker.

The team will be answering all of your questions, from what to check for on your passport before you travel, to how to find a bargain last minute deal. And there are the answers on whether to stay in the UK or travel aboard? Plus, whether to find a secure package deal or whether you should track down the separate options for flights and accommodation to get the best deal?

Sign up for free here by 4pm on July 25 to watch the discussion.

Simon Calder to answer your holiday questions during exclusive event

Body of woman found by firefighters putting out blaze at Greek home

13:37 , Tara Cobham

The body of an elderly woman has been found by firefighters putting out a blaze at a Greek home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Hellenic Fire Service, which is the national fire and rescue service in Greece, said an investation is ongoing after her body was found in a family home on Pausaniou Street, in Agios Achaias, amid a fire that damaged the house.

Plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed

13:31 , Tara Cobham

A plane fighting wildfires in Greece has crashed as blazes ravage the country.

The Greek Fire Brigade confirmed to The Independent that the accident happened over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where a fire has been burning. The spokesperson said they are investigating whether there have been any casualties.

Local media has reported the plane’s wing clipped a tree, with footage showing the plane subsequently plummeting to the ground before an explosion is seen.

How many Britons are in Sicily?

13:30 , Tara Cobham

Because no records are available for UK arrivals to, and departures from, Sicily, the best estimates for the number of British holidaymakers are provided by looking at the average number of flights to the islands’s airports each week and assuming an average stay of 10 days.

According to the flight data specialist Cirium, in a normal peak summer week there are 64 one-way flights scheduled from UK airports to four airports in Sicily: Palermo, Catania, Comiso and Trapani. The typical seat capacity is 12,000, and at this time of year the vast majority of passengers will be British holidaymakers. The number is currently reduced because of the closure of Catania airport to UK flights because of a fire at the terminal.

The Independent has calculated that there are currently 15,000 UK travellers in Sicily, in addition to a number of longer-stay residents with property – and sometimes family – on the island.

In a recent update today, Palermo's Falcone Borsellino airport, which was evacuated and closed during the night due to flames surrounding the perimeter area of the terminal, has partially resumed operations, as of 11am today, Tuesday, 25 July.

Departure flights have been authorised, while incoming flights are being monitored due to the strong scirocco winds blowing in the area, according to local media, quoting Gesap, the company managing the airport.

Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria

13:15 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires have killed 34 people in Algeria, including soldiers trying to get the flames under control in the face of high winds and scorching summer temperatures, government ministries said on Monday.

At least 1,500 people were evacuated, the Interior Ministry said, without providing details, after the fires have been burning for several days.

Wildfires, some spread by strong winds, moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions causing 97 blazes in the north African country. The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel — in the Kabyle region east of Algiers — and Bouira, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Algiers, the Interior Ministry said.

Operations to tamp down the fires included at least 7,500 firefighters and 350 trucks on the ground as well as air support.

Algeria is no stranger to summer wildfires. At least 37 people were killed last August after wildfires blazed near Algeria's northern border with Tunisia. A year earlier, authorities said dozens were killed in blazes — including soldiers called in to help fight the fires in the mountainous Kabyle region that is dotted with villages.

UK faces more 40C summers and wildfires but not prepared, expert warns

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The UK faces another 40C summer and an increased threat of wildfires due to climate change but the country is still woefully unprepared, experts warn.

Wildfires continue to blaze across the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu for a seventh day, amid a heatwave sweeping southern Europe.

Other parts of the world have similarly been hit by extreme weather conditions this year. Parts of Southeast Asia sweltered after a “once-in-200-years” heatwave gripped the region in April, and Canada has seen over 4,000 wildfires this year.

Maanya Sachdeva reports:

UK faces another 40C summer and wildfires but it’s not prepared, climate experts warn

Simon Calder on Greece: Latest travel advice

12:45 , Tara Cobham

Southern Europe has found itself on the frontline of the climate crisis this summer, with the onset of an extreme heatwave bringing dangerously high temperatures to Italy and Spain and now raging wildfires to the hills of Greece.

The Greek islands have been a favourite destination for British holidaymakers for decades but this month has seen out-of-control blazes spark “the biggest evacuation” in its history from Rhodes while Crete, Corfu, Evia and Zante have also suffered devastating infernos.

The situation for travellers is complicated because, although airlines like Jet2 and Tui have cancelled flights out of British airports over the next few days and laid on additional ones to bring stranded tourists home, others are proceeding with their journeys out as planned, apparently against the better instincts of their pilots.

“Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea,” one captain reportedly told his passengers over the Tannoy as they set out this week.

Up to 10,000 British tourists are currently feared to be on that island at present and in need of evacuation, a government minister has warned, the disaster coinciding with the height of the UK’s summer holiday season.

Joe Sommerlad and Simon Calder report:

Simon Calder’s latest advice on travel to Greece as wildfires continue to rage

In pictures: Wildfires ravaging Rhodes

12:30 , Tara Cobham

Watch: Aircraft tackling Greek wildfires flies in apocalyptic scenes

12:15 , Tara Cobham

Footage from onboard a Turkish aircraft shows the sheer devastation in Greece as the plane flies through thick black smoke to tackle the wildfires.

The land below is in darkness, apart from the orange glow of the fires, which can be seen for miles.

Satellite images have also revealed the extent of devastation caused by the wildfire which has charred the central part of the island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

An average of 50 new wildfires have broken out daily for the past 12 days in Greece, according to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. Over the weekend 64 new blazes were recorded.

Lucy Leeson reports:

Aircraft tackling Greek wildfires flies through thick smoke in apocalyptic scenes

Major Italy airport closed as wildfires now rage across Italy

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires have closed Palermo airport in Italy today as firefighters fought to control the raging blazes.

The Sicilian airport tweeted to say it would remain shut until 0900 GMT to give firefighters an opportunity to extinguish the fires which were also disrupting local road and rail traffic.

It came days after the island’s main airport of Catania, Italy’s fifth-biggest, was closed due to a fire in a terminal building.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Major airport closed as wildfires now rage across Italy

Watch: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

11:45 , Tara Cobham

Watch as wildfires continue to rage on Rhodes.

More British holidaymakers are due to return to the UK from the fire-ravaged Greek island, as repatriation flights continue.

Hundreds of people have already landed at British airports after parts of Rhodes went up in flames, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres before finding a way home.

Oliver Browning reports:

Watch: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes as evacuations continue

Listen: Calls grow for Rhodes to be put on ‘no go’ list – but Simon Calder is not convinced

11:30 , Tara Cobham

Calls are growing for the fire-hit Greek island of Rhodes to be placed on the Foreign Office "no go" list. That would compel travel firms to cancel all holidays for an indeterminate length of time – allowing families having second thoughts about going to a destination hit by such a calamity to get a full refund. But as Simon Calder explains in his daily travel podcast, it's not as simple as that.

The Independent's travel correspondent added: “Ninety per cent of the island appears to be safe and functioning.

“Jet2 and Tui, by far the biggest holiday companies, are already operating a de facto ‘no-go’ policy between now and Sunday 30 July.

“It is too early to know the extent to which August holidays will be affected, but decisions will be made in the next few days.

“If travel firms can offer safe and enjoyable holidays in Rhodes, I can see no reason to warn off holidaymakers.”

July 25th - Calls grow for Rhodes to be put on 'No Go' list | Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

National Express offers free travel for holidaymakers repatriated from Rhodes

11:15 , Tara Cobham

National Express, which runs coach services from Britain’s top airports, is offering free travel for holidaymakers repatriated from Rhodes to a different airport than they flew out from. They can go back to their original airport or to a different location of their choice within the UK. They need to supply proof of their original flight and airport, and the boarding pass of the flight they have taken.

The managing director of National Express Coach, Chris Hardy, said: “We’ve all seen the horrifying experiences people have had in the Greek wildfires on the news. This is the least we can do to help them get back home.”

Passengers with existing bookings who arrive back on a different day will be able to change without fuss.

Pictures of fire ‘reaching perimeter’ of Palermo Airport in Sicily

11:00 , Tara Cobham

Pictures of a fire “reaching the perimeter” of Palermo Airport in Sicily have been posted on social media.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

It posted on Twitter: “A fire that developed above Cinisi due to the Scirocco wind reached the perimeter of the airport.”

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

Satellite images show scorched and burning land on Greek islands

10:45 , Tara Cobham

Satellite images capture wildfires burning across the island of Rhodes.

Maxar Technologies shared the striking images on Twitter on Monday evening (24 July), which show how the blaze has charred parts of the Greek island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Planet Labs also published photos of smoke rising from Evia.

More evacuations have been ordered after the Rhodes wildfire tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving holidaymakers and local residents scrambling to safety.

At least 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats as the fire reached resorts on the southeastern coast of the island.

Satellite images show scorched and burning land on Greek islands

Man flying from London to Rhodes despite raging wildfires

10:37 , Tara Cobham

A man waiting to board a plane at London Gatwick is among the British tourists still flying out to Rhodes despite the wildfires raging through the Greek island.

Richard Hamilton, of Guernsey, 54, told The Independent at the airport that his family has already been in Kalithea, which is in the north of the island, for three days, but he said the blazes have not yet spread that far from the middle and the south of Rhodes.

Mr Hamilton, a company director, is planning on an eight-day holiday there and said: “We’ve been really careful - we’ve got a close friend who’s kept an eye on it for us, so we’re not too concerned at all.”

Watch: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

10:34 , Tara Cobham

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war’

10:30 , Tara Cobham

Arsonists are being blamed for devastating wildfires that have swept through the Greek island of Corfu.

Corfu mayor Yorgos Mahimaris said yesterday that an arsonist seemingly started the fires which sparked mass evacuations on Sunday as firefighters battled to control them.

Mr Mahimaris came to the conclusion after visiting three locations where fires broke out on Mount Pantokratoras.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

Arsonists behind Corfu’s devastating wildfires as Greece ‘at war’

Watch: Berlin hit by freak storm as heavy rain batters Germany

10:15 , Tara Cobham

In pictures: Wildfires ravage Greek island of Rhodes

10:00 , Tara Cobham

Watch live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes

09:45 , Tara Cobham

Live: Wildfire rages on Greek island of Rhodes

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

09:30 , Tara Cobham

Michael Gove is going to Evia in a week despite Greek authorities evacuating parts of the island.

The housing secretary is visiting the island, off the eastern coast of mainland Greece, after it became caught up in the “nightmare” wildfires engulfing the country.

Mr Gove told Sky News: “I am planning to go to Greece in just over a week’s time.” He added that he was visiting Evia.

Asked whether he was worried about the raging fires, Mr Gove said: “No, I am not.

“I want to make sure that as a government that we do everything possible to support Greece and indeed our tourists.”

Archie Mitchell reports:

Michael Gove going on holiday to Greek island currently being evacuated

Palermo airport closed and two killed in north as fires and storms batter Italy

09:10 , Tara Cobham

Wildfires forced the closure of Palermo airport in Sicily on Tuesday as extreme weather continued to batter Italy, with severe storms causing damage and at least two deaths in the north of the country.

The airport in the Sicilian capital would remain shut until 9am (GMT), its operator said on Twitter, as firefighters were working to put out a major blaze in a nearby area that also disrupted local road and rail traffic.

In some parts of eastern Sicily, temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) on Monday, close to a record European high of 48.8 Celsius recorded on the island two years ago.

On Tuesday, Italy put 16 cities on red alert because of the high temperatures. These include Palermo and Catania, where power and water supply cuts that local officials blamed in part on the heat have been frequent in recent days. Meanwhile, an overnight storm in Milan tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking roads and disrupting overground transportation in Italy's financial capital.

Two women were killed on Monday and Tuesday in the northern Monza and Brescia provinces after being crushed by falling trees.

Watch: Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in storm

09:00 , Tara Cobham

A man has died and 15 others are injured after a violent storm hit the town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds in northwestern Switzerland.

Rain, hail and winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour were recorded on Monday evening, Swiss public broadcaster SRF said on Tuesday. This caused damage to structures, trees and vehicles.

The storm "unfortunately caused the death of a person in their fifties following the fall of a building crane", Neuchâtel local police said in a press release.

Man dies in Switzerland after building crane falls in violent storm

Watch: Passenger recounts time in Rhode after Greece wildfires

08:40 , Tara Cobham

A passenger recalled his evacuation from Rhodes after arriving back at Gatwick Airport.

Up to 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the fire-ravaged Greek island, with repatriation flights to rescue holidaymakers landing back in the UK.

Dominic Doggett explained how he “stayed on the office floor” of a hotel, before driving through the night to find other accommodation.

“It was a very unique situation, but luckily we had a hire car there so we were able to drive away,” he explained.

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds return to UK after Greece wildfires

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves, scientists say

08:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Human-induced climate change is responsible for the historic heatwaves sweeping the planet from China to the United States, scientists have found.

The research conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), which was released on Tuesday, says the record-shattering heat in Europe and the US would have been almost “impossible” in a world without global heating.

The researchers, who analysed records in all three continents, said the likelihood of extreme heat in China, which recently recorded its highest-ever temperature at 52.2C, is now 50 times more likely due to the climate crisis.

Stuti Mishra reports.

Human-induced climate crisis responsible for killer heatwaves sweeping planet

Tens of thousands of Britons face cancelled summer holidays

08:08 , Tara Cobham

Tens of thousands of Britons face having their holidays cancelled this summer as hotels in fire-ravaged Rhodes could be closed for at least the next couple of weeks, it has been reported.

Around 30,000 tourists have been left in limbo as tour operators are planning for possible further cancellations, according to The Times.

Greece battled to contain wildfires on the island of Rhodes for a seventh day on Tuesday, as hundreds of tourists who had been forced to evacuate in previous days were expected to fly back to their countries.

Some 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno that began a week ago spread and reached coastal resorts on the verdant island's southeast, after charring swathes of land and damaging buildings.

More than 2,000 holidaymakers returned home by plane on Monday, and more repatriation flights were expected on Tuesday. Tour operators also cancelled upcoming trips.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf large parts of Greek islands

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More evacuations were ordered as the week-long wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defences due to strong winds, leaving local residents in scrambles.

Satellite images revealed the extent of devastation caused by the wildfire which has charred the central part of the island, burning down homes, cars and livestock.

Images from 20 July show smoke billowing from only a small part of the island, whereas the satellite pictures taken just three days later reveal a massive portion of scorched land in the central part of the island.

More here.

Satellite images show how wildfires spread to engulf Greek islands

Ryanair operating ‘full schedule’ to Greece

07:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ryanair is operating a “full schedule” to wildfire-hit Greece, including the battered island of Rhodes, as evacuation flights continue to bring back Britons.

“Airports remain open so we’re continuing to fly in there,” Neil Sorahan, the carrier’s chief financial officer told Sky News.

“We’ve got a number of customers who are keen to come home, some people still want to do down there so we’ll continue to fly in and out and as long as it’s safe to do so and as long as the airports remain open, we’ll be there.”

Other airlines such as Jet2, TUI UK and Correndon have cancelled flights to Rhodes at least till Friday 28 July.

Watch: Palermo airport shut due to raging wildfire

07:24 , Tara Cobham

Passenger recounts time in Rhodes as hundreds back in UK

07:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Palermo airport shut due to wildfire

06:40 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Palermo international airport was shut down overnight after a raging wildfire entered its perimeter. Temperatures in Palermo rose to a record 47C on Monday.

Wildfires spread through Sicily due to dry weather as Europe battles a severe heatwave this summer.

Firefighters on Monday deployed helicopters and a Canadair firefighting plane to dump water in parts of Sicily to bring the blaze under control.

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes?

06:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages across Greece after wildfires ravaged the country.

Videos of roaring fires and towering black smoke have circulated online from Rhodes and Corfu. However, wildfires have erupted across several areas including Evia and the Peloponnese region.

Maps show areas in Rhodes affected by raging wildfires:

Where are the fires in Corfu and Rhodes? Map reveals Greece wildfires

Wildfires kill 25 in Algeria

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Multiple wildfires in Algeria have killed at least 25 people, including 10 soldiers trying to bring the flames under control.

At least 1,500 people were evacuated as the wildfires moved across forests and agricultural areas in 16 regions of the north African country, the interior ministry said.

The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel in the Kabyle region east of Algiers and Bouire, located nearly 100km southeast of Algiers.

More here.

Wildfires across Algeria have killed 25 people, including 10 soldiers who were battling the flames

Watch: Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

‘We saw flames coming over the hills,’ says British tourist

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ian Murison, a businessman from London on vacation in southern Rhodes with his wife and 12-year-old son, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires.“We saw flames coming over the hills,” he told the Associated Press.

“Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting. We all just took our cases and started walking. It was about 3km before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited — in the dark due to a power blackout — with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them away.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said. “It was very, very stressful.”

Satellite images show spread of wildfire in Rhodes island between 20 and 23 July

04:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Watch: Rhodes tourists awaiting evacuation sleep on airport floor

04:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘We are at war’, Greek PM tells MPs

03:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis yesterday announced “we are at war” and “completely focused on the fires” as wildfires continue to burn down parts of Rhodes, forcing more evacuations from the resort island.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we must remain on constant alert,” the prime minister said during a debate in parliament.

“The climate crisis is already here.”

Latest pictures show shocking extent of damage caused by wildfires in Rhodes

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

Hannah Cottrell reports:

‘Trauma’ for couple on honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires amid screams and smoke

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

Hundreds of holidaymakers have landed back in the UK following wildfires on Rhodes, with more repatriation flights set to take place.

As many as 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the popular Greek island, part of which has been ravaged by the blazes, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres.

Rishi Sunak has urged people to remain in touch with tour operators, some of which have begun sending repatriation flights to bring people back to the UK.

Tui confirmed that holidaymakers returned on “three dedicated flights” overnight, with plans to bring more back “as soon as possible” in place.

Ted Hennessey reports:

Repatriation flights return British holidaymakers from Rhodes after wildfires

Is it safe to travel to Greece right now?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are continuing to sell flights for immediate departure from the UK to Rhodes despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

The UK’s two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and Tui, have cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes for several days ahead. They are and offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

But other airlines are continuing to offer seats on flights to Rhodes, and the travel firm Thomas Cook says most of its customers booked to travel on Sunday and Monday are travelling as normal.

From London Gatwick, easyJet has five flights to Rhodes on sale on Tuesday. But for those who no longer wish to travel, the airline is allowing free changes for passengers booked up to 29 July.

Three easyJet aircraft are also flying out empty to pick up UK holidaymakers wanting to come home early.

Simon Calder reports:

Greece wildfires: Is it safe to travel to Corfu, Zante and Rhodes right now?

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

Flights rescuing British holidaymakers in Rhodes have begun arriving in the UK, as wildfires ravage parts of the Greek island.

People have complained about a lack of information from travel companies on how the incident will affect them.

How have different firms responded to the emergency?

Ted Hennessey reports:

How travel firms are helping British holidaymakers in Rhodes

Tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a ‘big, big warning,’ says leading climate scientist

Monday 24 July 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Sir David King, one of the UK’s leading climate scientists, said tourists should see the Greek wildfires as a “big, big warning”.

He told PA: “If you are in one of these very warm areas and you haven’t got air conditioning indoors you could suffer terribly - many people will die from heat stress.”

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires in Rhodes and Corfu

Monday 24 July 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

UK airlines are scrambling evacuation flights to the wildfire-ravage islands of Rhodes and Corfu where up to 10,000 British tourists are stranded in a “living nightmare” as a fresh red alert is issued for Crete.

The two biggest holiday firms Tui and Jet2 have axed all flights to the island in the coming days after holidaymakers forced to flee their hotels had to sleep on floors in schools, airports and sports centres – but other firms, including Ryanair, Thomas Cook and easyJet continue to fly tourists who want to travel to Rhodes.

The popular destination of Crete was also placed under an “extreme” fire warning on Monday, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis telling parliament it must “be on constant alert” in the weeks ahead. He declared his country to be “at war” with the blazes and warned of three more “difficult days” before the extreme heat eases.

Simon Calder and Andy Gregory report:

UK rescue flights for tourists fleeing ‘out of control’ wildfires on Rhodes and Corfu

British tourists forced to sleep in schools overnight as wildfires continue

Monday 24 July 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

A family from Dorset were forced to sleep at a primary school on Rhodes after ash began falling on the outdoor furniture at the villa where they were staying.

Martin, 55, Victoria, 51, and Hayden Bowrey, 19, left the villa in Lindos after getting an alert on their phones.

At Gatwick Airport Martin Bowrey said: “We had ash falling onto our furniture outside our pool and after a few hours the smoke was getting thicker and thicker. We couldn’t see flames at that stage.”

After the evacuation order the family drove around 40 minutes to the primary school.

Mr Bowrey added: “Some people were sleeping in school rooms. It was hot so I said to our family ‘we’ll go out to the courtyard’.

“There were loads of people just laid out on the floor so we found a few slabs each and settled down as best we could.”

The family later returned to the villa when an alert told them the area had become safe again.

Transport secretary gives update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:49 , Martha Mchardy

Transport secretary Mark Harper has spoken with airline companies and said he welcomes the additional flights they’ve scheduled to repatriate holidaymakers from Rhodes.

He tweeted on Monday: “This evening I spoke to British-Airways, TUIUK, jet2tweets, Ryanair and easyJet, to discuss their response to the Rhodes fires.

“I welcome the additional flights they’re putting on to help bring British travellers home safely.”

Travel Association ABTA issues update

Monday 24 July 2023 20:35 , Martha Mchardy

An ABTA spokesperson said: “ABTA is continuing to work with members to support customers affected by the wildfires in Rhodes.

“We understand that some of the resorts have had their evacuation order removed by the Greek authorities and people have been advised that they can return to the resorts of Lindos and Pefkos.

“Travel companies will be liaising with their accommodation providers to ensure that they are ready to receive customers and customers will be notified accordingly. More information is available at www.abta.com/rhodeswildfires.”

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 20:20 , Martha Mchardy

A father of two has been left £10,000 out of pocket after his family holiday to Greece was ruined by wildfires.

Chris Elworthy, 42, a farmer from Faversham in Kent, was supposed to fly with easyJet to Rhodes on Saturday with his wife Emma, 43, and children, Thomas, 13, and Charlotte, 11, to reach a private villa in Pefkos – but both bookings were cancelled.

The former Royal Engineers officer said easyJet is not “helping at all” with a voucher or another flight and the villa is refusing to provide a refund.

Jamel Smith reports:

Family £10,000 out of pocket after Rhodes holiday ruined by wildfires

Watch live: Smoke billows over buildings as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Monday 24 July 2023 19:50 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as wildfires run rampant through the Greek tourist hotspot of Rhodes, in what is reported to be “the biggest evacuation” in Greek history.

The evacuation order in Rhodes came after Jet2 and Tui cancelled all flights to Rhodes until Friday 28 July.

Around 10,000 British tourists are feared to be on the fire-scorched island, a minister has warned, as one holidaymaker who arrived to find their hotel had burnt down described the situation as a “living nightmare”.

Smoke billows as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Rhodes

Watch as Greece wildfires seen from International Space Station

Monday 24 July 2023 19:20 , Martha Mchardy

One coach arrived for hotel of 1,200 people, says tourst

Monday 24 July 2023 18:50 , Martha Mchardy

Ian Murison, a businessman from London who was on holiday with his wife and 12-year-old son in southern Rhodes, described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires on Saturday.

“We saw flames coming over the hills. Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting,” he said.

“There was no process in place. ... We all just took our cases and started walking, it was about three kilometres (nearly two miles) before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited - in the dark due to a power blackout - with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” Mr Murison said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them off the beach.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” he said.

“It was very, very stressful.”

‘Miserable, worst week ever'

Monday 24 July 2023 18:21 , Martha Mchardy

Mark Payton, from Bristol, was critical of his tour operator and said his family had only managed to get back to the UK after taking a ferry from Rhodes to Kos and then finding a flight to Bristol.

“Tui were doing nothing for us at all - no offer of accommodation, no offer of flights or anything like that,” Mr Payton said at Bristol Airport.

“We took it upon ourselves to get ourselves home. We took a ferry from Rhodes over to Kos and found an easyJet flight from Kos back home.

“At 2am we were watching the red glow of fire coming over the mountains, but it was just not what we wanted from the holiday.

“The holiday operators... we’ve just come off the plane and my son was sat next to a couple and they flew out on the Saturday and as they landed they were told their hotel was already burnt down. I just don’t understand why they were even put on the flight to go.

“It is just devastation over there. You plan for these holidays, and it just feels like a real rubbish long weekend away.”

Another man, who was returning to the UK with his young family from Rhodes, added: “Miserable, worst week ever.”

Netherlands warns of travel risks for three Greek islands

Monday 24 July 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry warned of travel risks for the Greek islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia, moving the travel advisory colour code to yellow from green because of forest fires.

Climate change making wildfires in Mediterranean ‘larger, faster and harder to stop,’ says expert

Monday 24 July 2023 17:55 , Martha Mchardy

Prof Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science, Imperial College London, said: “The combination of heat, wind and people in the Mediterranean is mortal. There have always been wildfires in the South but climate change is making them larger, faster, and harder to stop.

“The intense heat of the summer dries vegetation and makes it very flammable, easier to catch fire. A heat wave or an unusually hot summer leads to even more flammable forests.

“Strong winds greatly accelerate wildfire. The combination of wind and dry vegetation makes wildfires much faster. They become walls of flames that cannot be stopped by ground crews or slowed down by airtankers.

“Large wildfires might jump over firebreaks because of the intense heat they radiate over dozens of meters, and the flying embers that can carry flames kilometres away.

“Poor management of forests leads to increased fuel loads, vegetation of the most flammable type, and few or narrow firebreaks. This is unfortunate, because fire safety and ecology require determined and wise management of the forest.

“When all goes wrong, when dry vegetation is plentiful, there is wind and previous forest management was poor, then the fire brigades cannot do much, and evacuation of communities along the possible fire path must be evacuated with plenty of time to reach a safe place.”

Mapped: Wind and temperatures in Greece on Monday

Monday 24 July 2023 17:40 , Martha Mchardy

British tourist says he knew wildfires were near when hot ash fell in his drink

Monday 24 July 2023 17:25 , Martha Mchardy

Dominic Doggett, 30, from Norwich, said he knew the wildfires in Rhodes were nearing when ash fell in his drink.

Speaking after landing at Gatwick Airport, Mr Doggett said: “We were sat having the wedding breakfast and you just sort of realised your glass of drink had a bit of hot ash in.

“At that point, we thought, yeah, maybe this might be affecting us more than we initially thought.”

New satellite images show scale of Rhodes wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 17:10 , Martha Mchardy

Watch: Britons evacuated from Rhodes describe devastating wildfires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:55 , Martha Mchardy

‘Trauma’ for couple of honeymoon who fled Rhodes fires

Monday 24 July 2023 16:39 , Martha Mchardy

A newly-wed couple celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes have spoken of their “traumatic” experience of being evacuated from their hotel amid “intense” smoke and the sound of a child screaming: “I don’t want to die”.

Claire and Paul Jones, both 36 from Leicestershire, were celebrating their honeymoon on Rhodes after getting married on July 16.

They travelled to the Greek island two days later on July 18, before the wildfires took hold.

Ms Jones recalled hearing about the fires on Thursday and said by Friday evening, when she and her husband were sitting outside having drinks, it “got really smoky at one point” and there was “ash dropping out of the sky”.

On Saturday, the couple was evacuated by coach from the Village Rhodes Beach Resort in Lindian Village, near Lardos, after she said the situation went from “zero to 100”.

Mrs Jones, a company director, told the PA news agency: “When we woke up [on Saturday], it had pretty much gone, it was clear sky again, it didn’t smell too bad, and we thought they had gotten it under control.”

Throughout the course of the day, she recalled how it “got worse and worse and worse again”, and said she and her husband decided to pack up their belongings, adding the hotel announced they were being evacuated “within 10 minutes” on Saturday.

“That’s how quickly it escalates, it was literally zero to 100,” she said.

“By the time we got our stuff and got to reception, which was probably another 10 minutes, everybody was at reception and you could see the fires.

“They had come over the hill, they were halfway down the hill, and everybody was just panicking.”

Mrs Jones has said she and her husband were “very lucky” as they have now managed to flee via a taxi to Faliraki in the north of the island, where they had planned to stay later in their trip.

“I’m finding it really hard to just switch off, I can’t stop thinking about it,” she added.

“I keep thinking of little things, like there was a little girl on the bus screaming to her mum, ‘I don’t want to die’.

“The kids were petrified because they could see the fire, it wasn’t a nice situation.”

Mrs Jones said as they fled they were given wet towels by the staff at the hotel because “the smoke had got so intense you could hardly breathe”.

While waiting for the coaches to arrive, Mrs Jones recalled: “When we got to the car park and you could see the fires getting closer and closer and closer, and the coaches weren’t turning up... that was really worrying.”

She added: “When we first got on the coach, that was the most scary because I thought, if that wind blows towards us, that fire is going to hit the coach.

“We had to drive through two or three fires on either side of the road, there was no way out, we had to drive through them.

“It was really quite traumatic driving to where we went because you could see everyone fleeing their hotels, and people were walking along the beaches, walking along the roads, and they had babies and small children.”

Wildfires seen from space

Monday 24 July 2023 16:23 , Martha Mchardy

Wildfires in Greece are visible from an International Space Station, a video shows.

Footage apparently taken from space shows smoke rising from areas in Greece.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website