Global Courant
Greek authorities evacuated nearly 2,500 people from the island of Corfu on Monday as crews battled several wildfires in the heat-stricken country.
Tens of thousands of people have already fled the fires on the island of Rhodes, and many frightened tourists are rushing to get home.
About 2,400 visitors and local residents were evacuated from Corfu from Sunday to Monday, a fire service spokesman said, adding that the departure was a precautionary measure.
Greece has been sweltering under a prolonged period of extreme heat that has exacerbated the risk of wildfires and left visitors stranded in peak tourist season.
Some 30,000 people fled Rhodes over the weekend, the country’s largest-ever wildfire evacuation.
Police said 16,000 people had been transported by land and 3,000 evacuated by sea. Others had to flee by road or use their own transport after being ordered to leave the area.
Rhodes, which had 2.5 million visitors in 2022, is one of Greece’s top holiday destinations.
As every summer, Greece is ravaged by forest fires, often deadly, destroying tens of thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation.
This summer, according to experts, the country experienced one of the longest heat waves in recent years, with the thermometer reaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend.
On Monday, the heat was expected to ease slightly, with temperatures expected to reach 37 °C (98.6 °F) in Athens, but it should pick up again on Tuesday.
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