Greek authorities reported that "a fire broke out in the forests of Greece's Rhodes Island and became uncontrollable, forcing hundreds to flee from affected villages and beaches." In this context, Nikos Alexiou, a spokesperson for the coast guard, confirmed that "coast guard ships and more than 20 private boats participated in an operation to evacuate about 1,000 people from beaches near the areas of Kiotari and Lardos in the southeastern part of the island." He added that "an operation is currently underway to evacuate about 600 people from the beaches in Kiotari and Gennadi towards Plimmiri."
The spokesperson for the fire service, Vassilis Vathrakogianis, mentioned that authorities also urged around 1,000 people to leave the villages of Vlycha, Lindos, and Kalathos as the fire approached them. Media reports indicated that airlines canceled flights to Rhodes due to the fires. Meteorological experts expect the rise in temperatures to continue until the end of this month. Firefighting teams, which received reinforcements from Slovakia, are struggling to combat new hotspots of the wildfire that has been burning for five days and fueled by strong winds. Water-dropping planes are participating in the firefighting efforts.
On another note, the Greek civil defense reported a "collapse of a bridge under construction in Greece, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of another. There are people trapped under the rubble, but we do not know the exact number."
