2,500 tourists evacuated from Corfu as forest fires break out on other Greek islands

While forest fires on Rhodes are still raging on, other fires have broken out on the Greek islands of Corfu and Evia. Almost 2,500 tourists were evacuated from the islands on Sunday night, a fire brigade spokesperson reported. As of yet, no houses or hotels have been destroyed.

A fire broke out on the northern part of Corfu, a popular holiday destination, on Sunday night. According to French news agency AFP, the first evacuations of holidaymakers in Corfu began on Sunday evening. Tourists and residents of 12 towns on Corfu are being urged to evacuate, according to Greek news agency ANA. In the small coastal town of Nisaki in north-east Corfu, the coast guard is evacuating people from the beach.

On Evia, an island in the Aegean Sea off the east coast of Attica, five villages were evacuated Sunday by a forest fire fuelled by strong winds, according to local emergency services.

Large forest fires have been raging on Rhodes for almost a week. More than 19,000 tourists have already been taken to safety.

The Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice for Greece. Travellers are advised travellers to "carefully follow the instructions of the local authorities" and take into account possible new fires due to the ongoing heat.

 

© SPYROS BAKALIS / AFP

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About belganewsagency.eu

Belga News Agency delivers dependable, rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media. The information covers all sectors, from politics, economics and finance to social affairs, sports and culture, not to mention entertainment and lifestyle.

Every day, our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories, dozens of online information items, plus audio and video bulletins, all in both national languages. Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language.

For public institutions, businesses and various organisations that need reliable information, Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs.

Contact

Arduinkaai 29 1000 Brussels

www.belganewsagency.eu