An under-construction bridge in western Greece collapsed on Sunday (July 23) and killed at least one person while several were trapped underneath, police told news agency AFP. Separately, the wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes which prompted the biggest evacuation operation ever in response to a fire the country has ever witnessed.
Under-construction bridge collapses
A report by AFP citing rescuers said that a bridge that was under construction collapsed near the city of Patras and some people were trapped underneath. The Greek police later reported that at least one person was killed and eight others were injured.
“We can confirm that the bridge collapsed. We are operating at the scene. There are people trapped but we don’t know the exact number,” the fire brigade told AFP earlier. The bridge, located in the Proastio area on the road to the capital city of Athens, had been closed last week due to reconstruction works, said a fire brigade official.
Evacuations underway in Rhodes
According to Greek police, the wildfires on the island of Rhodes have sparked the biggest Greek evacuation operation ever in response to a fire. “We had to evacuate an area of 30,000 people. Everything thank God went smoothly. Everybody, especially tourists, followed what we ordered,” Konstantia Dimoglidou, Greek police spokeswoman told AFP.
She added, “This is the biggest fire evacuation ever in Greece.” This comes as wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes, on Sunday, as thousands were evacuated from coastal villages and resorts.
Tourists and island residents were told to shelter in schools and indoor stadiums while thousands spent the night outdoors. A day earlier, more than 2,000 people were evacuated using three coastguard vessels guiding more than 30 private boats from the beaches on the Greek island.
As of Sunday, flames had spread to the seaside villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos, while large groups of people were waiting on the streets to be evacuated. “We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people now accommodated at different structures,” said Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes.
A local government official told Reuters that 19,000 people had been moved away from their homes and hotels and 3,000 by boat. So far, no casualties have been reported due to the wildfires. According to Greek state television, more than 250 firefighters, assisted by 15 aircraft, were trying to contain the blaze across the island.
Fire brigade spokesman Ioannis Artopoios told local media that evacuees, both island residents and tourists, were housed at hotels, indoor stadiums, conference centres and school buildings. He added, “They have been given food, water and medical help.”
Tourists stuck on island, flights cancelled
Tour groups Jet2 and TUI, on Sunday, have cancelled flights departing for Rhodes amid the wildfires, said the two groups, in separate statements. Meanwhile, Britain’s easyJet said it was operating flights as normal to Rhodes and was closely monitoring the situation.
The British embassy in Athens said that the Greek foreign ministry is setting up a help desk at Rhodes Airport to help tourists leave the island, including those who have lost travel documents.
French, German, Dutch and British citizens were among the tourists on Rhodes which can receive as many as 150,000 visitors in peak season, while the resident population is 125,000. “The smoke was coming. So we all set off on foot. I walked 12 miles in this heat yesterday. It took me four hours,” said British tourist Chris Freestone as per Reuters.
He also spoke about how TUI did not put on enough coaches for the 800 people at Labranda hotel where he was staying which left guests waiting at the beach for boats that never arrived.
(With inputs from agencies)
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