Brits who were forced to flee Rhodes due to wildfires will be offered free holiday next year, Greek PM confirms
2 August 2023, 13:34 | Updated: 2 August 2023, 14:43
Brits who were forced to flee burning Rhodes this summer will be offered a free holiday on the Greek island next year, the country's prime minister has said.
Around 15 per cent of land of Rhodes was affected by recent wildfires, though the situation is now back to normal, according to Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Mr Mitsotakis said his government will now work with local authorities to offer a week's holiday in compensation for those whose holiday was cut short by the wildfires.
"Next spring, the next fall, so that we make sure they come back to the island and enjoy its natural beauty," he said.
Around 20,000 tourists were forced to flee the Greek island, as were thousands of locals, after multiple fires broke out on July 18 amid soaring temperatures.
Multiple airlines started operating strict emergency-only flights due to the wildfires, leading to many more holidaymakers having their holidays cancelled.
The pilot made the last-ditch attempt to warn holidaymakers against travelling to Rhodes as the flight prepared to take off from Gatwick.
There were 37 British holidaymakers on board, who were told by the captain that it was a "bad idea" to carry on with their journey.
Read More: Rhodes declares state of emergency as six new Greek regions face 'extreme' risk of wildfires
"Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea," he told his passengers. "As far as I'm concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis.
"Return flights are now being managed by the military. If you want to get off flight, you are welcome to do so."
Before this point, thousands had already left the island.
'Run, Run, Run': Holidaymaker tells of terrifying evacuation from Greek island
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast British holidaymaker Narrissa Sketchley described the harrowing tale of her evacuation from fire-ravaged Rhodes.
She told LBC the "white ash started dropping on us" which was her first indicator of a problem.
"We could see these big, thick, black clouds coming over, the water helicopters were over us."
She told Nick when she called her local holiday rep she was told to "stay put."
Revealing her horrifying tale, Narrissa said her family could no longer stay outside as the smoke was too thick.
"We asked the hotel reception what to do and they told us to stay put, we waited and waited until we got a text from the government."
She said this message told holidaymakers to feel the area she was in, but her family was unsure where the area they were supposed to flee to was.
