![]() ![]() ![]() All residents had been evacuated and no one was hurt. In Turkey, authorities evacuated a dozen homes and a hospital as a precaution on Tuesday after a wildfire raged through a rugged forest area near the Mediterranean resort of Kemer, in Antalya province.Īnother wildfire that broke out in the western province of Manisa, was brought under control a day after it reached a small village, burning at least 14 homes. ![]() But in Italy's northern Lombardy region, a powerful storm caused flooding, power outages and was blamed for the death of a 16-year-old girl at a scouts' camp. On the island of Sicily, Palermo's international airport temporarily shut down as flames from a wildfire approached. The European Union has sent 500 firefighters, 100 vehicles and seven planes from 10 member states, while Turkey, Israel, Egypt and other countries have also sent help.Ĭontributing nations included Italy which was dealing with its own fires and extreme weather at home. Tour operators said holidaymakers would be heading to resorts in the so-far unaffected northern part of Rhodes. Two full charter flights were scheduled to depart from Sweden on Wednesday, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said. Rhodes is highly popular with Nordic tourists, who are expected to continue heading for the island this week. The Greek Fire Service has battled more than 500 fires - more than 50 a day," said Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection.Ī local resident runs to avoid the flames of a wildfire in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, July 25, 2023. "For the 12th day, under extreme conditions of heat and strong winds, we are fighting nonstop on dozens of forest fire fronts. On Rhodes, desperate residents, many with wet towels around their necks to stave off the scorching heat, used shovels to beat back flames approaching their homes, while firefighting planes and helicopters resumed water drops at first light. "On the other fronts we have to deal with many cases of the fire flaring up again," Ioannis Artopios said.įour villages on Rhodes were ordered evacuated on Tuesday as a fire burning for eight days continued to move inland, torching mountainous forest areas, including a part of a nature reserve.Īnother five evacuations were ordered on Corfu, and one overnight on Evia. This image provided by Maxar Technologies, shows wildfires on the island of Corfu, Greece, July 25, 2023. Summer wildfires have also struck other Mediterranean countries, leaving at least 34 people dead in Algeria.ĮU officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across the European continent, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.Ī Greek fire service spokesman said the worst blazes on Tuesday were on the southeastern island of Rhodes and the northwestern island of Corfu - both which are popular tourist destinations. Several people have been arrested or fined across Greece in recent days for accidentally starting fires. It's still unclear how they started, although tinder-dry conditions amid the summer heat mean the slightest spark can trigger a blaze that will spread fast if not quickly quenched. ![]() In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature."Ī third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of the country Tuesday amid a string of evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days, whipped on by strong winds. "They proved how hazardous their daily missions in extinguishing fires are. "They offered their lives to save lives," Mitsotakis said of the pilots. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis canceled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and Greece's armed forces declared three days of mourning. The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted. A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures.Ī state ERT TV video showed the CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. ![]()
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