A former Greek defence minister has encouraged the Greek government to request assistance from Russia in putting out destructive wildfires.
According to Panos Kamennos, it would be difficult to contain the wildfires raging on the islands of Corfu and Rhodes without the Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft.
Nothing occurs without Beriev, the man said. Let’s bowed our heads and request assistance. They’ll give it to us.
The enormous Russian aircraft Beriev turned out to be a valuable tool in putting out fires during the Greek fire season.
The Beriev Aircraft Company developed and produced the utility amphibious Beriev Be-200 Altair.
Due to the deadly flames that have been raging in Greece for the past week, thousands of visitors have had to leave the country.
A handful of repatriation planes have returned up to 10,000 British tourists who were impacted to the UK.
With a capacity of 12,000 litres (3,200 US gal) of water or up to 72 passengers, it is advertised as being built for firefighting, search and rescue, maritime patrol, freight and passenger transportation.
Eight ferric aluminium alloy water tanks, which are situated under the cabin floor in the central fuselage part of the Be-200 in its amphibious water drop fire-fighter version, are used to drop water to put out fires.
Four retractable water scoops, two ahead and two aft of the fuselage step, can scoop a combined 12 tonnes (26,000 lb) of water in 14 seconds.
As an alternative, a ground-level water cistern or hydrant can be used to fill the tanks.
The water tanks may be easily removed to transport cargo. Water can be poured in up to eight consecutive drops or in one salvo.
Six additional fire-retarding chemical agent auxiliary tanks with a combined capacity of 1.2 m3 (320 US gal) are also carried by the aircraft.
When flying at a speed greater than the minimum drop speed of 220 km/h (140 mph; 120 km), the aircraft may dump its water tanks over a fire in 0.8 to 1.0 seconds.
Additionally, two Be-200ES were utilised in Greece, with RF-32768 battling the season-long 2007 forest fires and RF-21512 operating from August 30 to September 13, 2007.
Greece utilised one aircraft during the summer of 2021
As Rhodes residents continue to evacuate in the wake of the flames and high heat, other Greek islands are also under risk.
As the fire grows closer, residents of many villages in Corfu’s northeast have been ordered to leave.
British tourists recall being told to “run into the sea” as sirens sounded; Rhodes is currently going through a particularly difficult time.
Jet2, TUI, and other travel agencies cancelled flights to Rhodes as soon as the first repatriation aircraft began landing on the island.
So as the fires blaze, many people are wondering exactly which areas of Rhodes are affected?
Where are the wildfires on Rhodes?
The wildfires on the island of Rhodes in Greece so far are near the towns and villages of Lindos, Pefkoi and Kiotari, which are towards the southern end of the island.
In the past few hours, they have spread to nearby Masari and Malonas, and Kalathos.
Lindos is about 47km south of Rhodes Town and the airport.
Can I cancel my trip to Rhodes?
Some travel companies are already cancelling trips, including Thomas Cook and TUI. Anyone due to travel to Rhodes in the near future should speak to their airline or tour operator to discuss options.
Easyjet, for example, is still operating flights to Rhodes but is allowing passengers to booked to travel to or from Rhodes before July 29 to transfer their flight to another date or request a flight voucher.
Unfortunately, when a government has not issued advice against travelling to a country, getting compensation for a flight or accommodation that has not been cancelled by an airline or holiday company is difficult.
Some will decide to offer a refund or the chance to reschedule, but in most circumstances they don’t have to. Your travel insurance is unlikely to cover your costs if your flights and accommodation have not been cancelled and you decide not to travel.
A British mother spoke of feeling helpless as flames tore through the Greek island of Rhodes, leaving her family “stranded.”
Rhodes is a famous summer holiday destination for British tourists in Greece and is well-known for its sand beaches, historic temples, and nightlife.
However, authorities claim that roughly one in ten tourists have been touched by the flames, which have prompted thousands of residents to leave from seaside settlements.
Footage from Kiotari and Lardo resorts has shown sightseers against a murky orange sky dragging suitcases or fleeing hotels without their luggage at all.
Others have described waking up today to ash falling on them from above as wildfires raged for the sixth night.
Thousands of miles away, Brits like Debbie Antoine are watching the unfolding scenes and are terrified of what will happen to their families vacationing there.
Greek police say it’s the country’s largest-ever evacuation operation in response to a fire (Picture: AP)The wildfires have scorched southeastern beaches, officials sayNearly 20,000 people have been evacuated so far (Picture: Michael Stokes / SWNS)
Her daughter, Kelly Nicholls, who is staying at a five-star hotel along the upscale Kiotari beach strip, has lost ‘everything’.
‘My daughter Kell, her husband and two young children along with another family of four had to run for their lives from the Princess Andriana Resort & Spa,’ Debbie said, according to The Mirror.
‘They have walked for miles to escape and no one except local people have given them drinks,’ she said, adding that they have been sleeping on sun beds.
‘The hotel gave them towels and nothing else, no food or drink,’ Debbie added.
‘They are literally stranded and have lost everything as they ran in their swimwear.’
Eileen Mawton and her daughter Hannah Gormley and eight-year-old granddaughter Annabelle, also staying at the Princess Andriana Resort & Spa, said they had to run on foot in 40°C heat.
Some tourists have been hauled up in emergency shelters in stadiums (Picture: Reuters)
Friend Glynis Wall told The Mirror: ‘They said it was like images of a warzone.
‘Everyone around them was panicking. There were children and babies crying and mothers trying to protect them from the smoke.’
While Corinne Watson, 42, who is holidaying with her husband and two sons, said power outages at their hotel ’caused chaos’ but staff are ‘working exceptionally hard’.
‘For others, both tourists and locals, it is awful and terrifying,’ she told the PA news agency.
More than 19,000 people have been vacated so far in what police told local news outlet Ellada 24 is the largest fire evacuation operation ever carried out in the country.
Preliminary police data suggests 16,000 people have been evacuated over land and 3,000 by sea.
The wildfire has been burning since last week but was confined mainly to mountainous regions until winds and scorching temperatures pushed it eastside.
Orders to leave homes and hotels in Asklepiio and Kiotari and move to Gennadi were issued at 1:42pm yesterday, the Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported.
Holidaymaker David Woodhouse tweeted footage of him walking in a bathing suit alongside countless others from the TUI Plimmiri Hotel shortly after the alert.
Greece’s Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said the evacuation ‘took place without problem’ and ‘care has been taken for the accommodation of those who had to be removed’.
Nine people have been admitted to hospital with breathing problems, regional health officials said.
The British Embassy in Athens said it is ‘closely monitoring the wildfire in Rhodes’.
The Foreign Office’s travel advice for Greece adds: ‘If you are a British national affected by wildfires in Rhodes near Kiotari, Pefkoi, Lindos and the surrounding area, please follow the guidance from the emergency services.
‘If you are planning to travel to Rhodes, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit is not impacted by the current wildfires.’
It comes as at least 46 forest fires were ignited throughout Greece in the last 24 hours, the country’s fire brigade tweeted at about 6:20pm local time.
Greece’s fire service spokesman, Ioannis Artophios, told reporters yesterday evening: ‘An extreme risk of fire is predicted in Attica, Evia, Boeotia, Phocis, Fthiotida, Magnesia, Larissa, Argolis, Corinthia, Messinia, in areas of Achaia and Ilia, and in the islands of the Rhodes Regional Unit, while the risk remains very high in the rest of the country.
‘The new heat wave creates dangerous conditions for the occurrence and spread of fires.
‘In the extreme situation we are experiencing, the attention of all of us is required.’
The tinder-dry temperatures are set to continue in Rhodes today, with Greece’s national weather service predicting 32°C in the morning before rising to 40°C by midday.
Even in the evening, the mercury will only lower by eight degrees, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service.
Cleon, named by Greek weather officials after the Athenian general and otherwise known as Cerebrus, has engulfed Greece, igniting wildfires last week near Athens.
Dan Jones, a director of sports for a school football team in Torbay, England, tweeted that the Rhodes wildfires have been the ‘scariest moment in my entire life’.
He said he and his three children climbed on a fishing trawler to get to safety.
‘I don’t know how they’ll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys,’ he said. ‘Family is everything.’
More than 2,000 visitors and locals, including British tourists, had to be evacuated from beaches as Rhodes, a Greek island, continues to burn due to out-of-control wildfires.
On Saturday, the coast guard received assistance from dozens of private boats to transport them to safety from four locations, including the south-eastern resorts of Kiotari and Lardos.
As the five-day fire rages on, several have recounted ‘terrifying’ scenes of pandemonium, with power outages producing ‘chaos’ and a lack of information from travel firms.
The blaze had previously been confined to the island’s mountainous centre before a change in wind caused it to veer towards the coast on the central-eastern side.
Local media reported it threatened to engulf three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari, which had already been emptied.
Fire Service spokesman Yannis Artopios said on Saturday that more wildfires could break out as temperatures are set to reach 45C on Sunday.
Thomas Cook said 40 of its customers were at hotels in Lardos and Kiotari – the areas most affected by the fire.
Greek television showed long queues of tourists dragging their luggage on foot, while smoke could be seen billowing in the background.
Smoke rises from a wildfire on the island of Rhodes (Picture: Reuters)
Tourists described chaos on social media, with Paul Karlburgi writing: ‘Currently stranded in Rhodes escaping the wildfires on foot – left everything at the hotel and fled with towels across our faces.
‘My youngest just told me he doesn’t want to die. No news from any authorities. Terrifying situation here.’
Corinne Watson, 42, who is holidaying with her husband and two sons, said she had only received one automated text message from Tui, telling her they were ‘sorry for any disruptions’.
The mother-of-two said: ‘Our hotel has accepted some evacuees and hosted a few while other accommodation was found.
‘Power losses affecting the kitchens has caused chaos but hotel staff are working exceptionally hard to manage the situation – they must be very worried for their island.
‘Hotel staff [are] working flat out under desperate worry.’
Smoke billows from a burnt hotel complex during a wildfire (Picture: AFP via Getty)
However, she said Tui had offered a ‘poor service’ with no information on whether her area was safe or what to do in the event of an evacuation.
Ms Watson, a local government worker from Cumbria, added: ‘Today the sky has rarely been blue and we have had the water planes above us frequently collecting from the sea.
‘Getting information is very difficult. Currently we are lucky, in a lovely hotel and hope it stays that way.
‘For others, both tourists and locals, it is awful and terrifying. I hope they bring them under control quickly with limited damage.’
Sarah Roberts told the Telegraph she could see flames ‘lapping the hills’ as she and her family fled the five-star Mitsis Rodos Village Beach Hotel and Spa.
She said: ‘People were still trying to take their suitcases along the beach, it was horrendous and stupid to see.
‘There was one tourist boat with one guy trying to board women and children but men were barging past and arguing, delaying the effort. It was horrific.’
Simon Wheatley told the BBC: ‘We were told by police that we had to evacuate the building because the air was just unbreathable – it had turned bright orange and black above our heads.’
Katie Piercefield-Holmes added it was ‘really quite terrifying’.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: ‘We are monitoring closely the wildfires in Rhodes and are in touch with our customers who are on holiday there.
‘Our teams are in regular contact with our holidaymakers on the island currently as well as those about to depart to discuss their options.’
There will be a brief respite in the heatwave on Monday, but it will resume on Tuesday and could last until at least Friday, meteorologists have said.
Firefighting forces from eight EU countries are either operating or due to arrive soon, Mr Artopios said.
Israel, Jordan and Turkey have also sent reinforcements, mostly aerial equipment.
Both Tui and the Foreign Office have been approached for comment.
Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a tinderbox in recent years.
Mr Artopios said the blaze in Rhodes is the most dangerous of several burning across Greece.
One northwest of Athens and another near Sparta are easing, he said, although others may still erupt.
The wooden ship that was carrying a group of anxious tourists caught fire and caused them to jump overboard.
The boat caught fire off the Greek island of Rhodes on Thursday, leaving 82 passengers—including British tourists—running for their lives. The boat was only 300 yards from land.
Families and little children jumped into the water as the deck was quickly destroyed by the raging inferno within minutes.
Pictures of the incident were horrifying, showing huge flames engulfing the entire boat as thick, black smoke rose into the sky.
Some escapees swam back to shore on Stegna beach in the town of Archangelos, while others piled into rescue boats that came to their aid.
Greek coast guard officials said everyone on board was eventually brought to safety before the ruins of the destroyed ship sank.
But witnesses say many were left ‘traumatised’ by the incident which saw a nine-year-old girl and 50-year-old woman suffer minor burn injuries, according to local reports.
The child and woman were taken to hospital but doctors say their condition isn’t serious.
Shaun Williams, an aircraft engineer from St Ives, Cornwall, said he was on a boat trip with his family while on holiday when the fire broke out.
The 55-year-old said they were about half an hour into the trip when they stopped near Stegna beach, off the east coast of Rhodes, to go snorkelling.
He told MailOnline: ‘We were on the top deck and the crew started shouting but we could not understand. We then saw the smoke.
‘The crew tried to fight the fire but the boat was made of wood and the fire grew quickly.’
Mr Williams said there was ‘a lot of panic’ with families with young children on board and the captain of the boat told everyone to ‘get in the sea’ after the crew handed out life jackets.
‘We all jumped in and I would say within a minute or two the place we had been standing was fully ablaze,’ he said.
A number of boats in the area came to their rescue and took the evacuated passengers back to shore, according to Mr Williams.
He added: ‘We had no injuries but my nine-year-old son was traumatised for some time.’
Emergency services, including firefighters, were called to the scene immediately after the fire broke out.
Stunned bystanders watched on in horror from the beach, with the huge smoke clouds out at sea clearly visible.
Greece’s Central Port Authority said it would take measures to deal with the marine pollution after the boat sank.
Greek authorities confirmed that fortunately no passengers were seriously hurt and were later transferred to their hotels by bus.
Last month, at least 78 people were killed after a boat capsized with 700 people on board.
