Corfu wildfire ‘started by arsonists’, authorities say
Jul 25, 2023 at 3:23 AM
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blaze that has ravaged Corfu and led 1000’s to evacuate has been blamed on arsonists by authorities.
Around 2,000 folks on the Greek island, together with holidaymakers, fled from the fire fled over the weekend whereas firefighters have been nonetheless tackling the blaze on Monday because it swept throughout dry scrubland.
Chariton Koutscouris, North Corfu’s area’s deputy mayor of tourism and building, stated on Monday the blaze had been brought on by a “group of people”, whereas Mayor of North Corfu, Giorgio Mahimaris, additionally pointed the finger at arsonists.
Plumes of smoke rise from a wildfire on the island of Corfu on July 23
/ through REUTERS
“They get pleasure out of this with the pain of the other people,” Mr Koutscouris informed the BBC.
It is estimated that there are as much as 10,000 British holidaymakers on Rhodes, lots of whom have needed to flee and sleep on the flooring of colleges, airports and sports activities centres.
Airlines have begun to repatriate their clients again to the UK, with flights returning over the weekend.
Greece Wildfires: Tourists evacuation from Rhodes
The Foreign Office stated it has despatched 5 of its workers and 4 British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to assist assist British nationals.
A spokesman stated: “They will be based at Rhodes International Airport to assist with travel documents and liaise with Greek authorities and travel operators on the ground.
“British nationals in Rhodes should contact their travel operator in the first instance for any queries regarding the rescheduling of flights and continue to check our updated gov.uk travel advice for information.”
Helped by firefighters and different emergency companies from throughout the European Union, Greek authorities have additionally been evacuating folks north of Athens as they battle to include the unfold of one of many largest fires ever seen on the mainland.
Many wildfires around the globe are began by folks, whether or not on objective or accidentally, however rising temperatures and drier situations exacerbated by local weather change imply that, as soon as ignited, fires can unfold with deadly pace and ferocity.
