Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
24-07-2023
ATHENS: Greece’s capital is facing its hottest July weekend in 50 years with temperatures forecast to soar above 40C (104F) as the nation and others in southern Europe, such as Italy and Spain, swelter in another record-breaking heatwave.
“We are expecting breaking records when it comes to temperatures over this weekend. There are severe fire warnings in place across Greece, mostly also in Athens, particularly for tomorrow, Sunday,” said Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Greek capital.
Meanwhile, a large blaze burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to evacuate as many as 30,000 people.
According to the Greek coastguard, people were being picked up from Kiotari and Lardos beaches on the east of the Mediterranean island popular with tourists. Officials on the island said 30,000 people have already been evacuated, including 2,000 who had to be ferried off beaches.
Members of the coastguard, the armed forces and local authority workers used dozens of buses to help move people away from the fires, said Rhodes municipality official Teris Hatziioannou.
Where the fires had cut off road access, some tourists had to walk to safety.
“Those fires have been burning for days now but really escalated today in the afternoon, causing them to be out of control – moving more towards the east coast; this is a more touristy area, which is why you’re saying thousands of tourists walking with their luggage away from hotels,” Dekker said.
“The Navy is involved in trying to evacuate people, also calling on those with private vessels to help evacuate. They’re also being moved by authorities to schools, gymnasiums, and other areas of the island. At the moment there are no fatalities, but this is an extremely serious situation,” she added.
Experts have pointed the finger at climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, saying global warming is playing a key role in extreme weather. (Int’l News Desk)
