TUI forced to cancel holidays to popular hotspot as Brits flee massive wildfires
TUI has canceled all trips to Rhodes as wildfires ravage the tourist hotspot.
No flights to the Greek island will be operated up to and including Tuesday, July 25, the travel company announced.
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In a statement, TUI said: “The situation in the southern part of Rhodes remains unstable and challenging.”
“For this reason, and taking into account the impact on the affected local communities, TUI has decided to cancel all flights and booked trips to Rhodes for departures up to and including Tuesday 25 July.”
Jet2 also canceled all flights to the fire-ravaged Mediterranean island on Sunday.
Up to 30,000 locals and tourists have been forced to flee as the fires raged for almost a week.
Since the fire broke out in a mountainous area on Tuesday, it has scorched large swathes of forest and also burned down buildings.
Are you in Rhodes right now? Tell us your story! Contact the foreign desk at: iona.cleave@the-sun.co.uk or worldnews@the-sun.co.uk
Extraordinary scenes show columns of people lugging their luggage and children as they try to escape the inferno.
Hundreds of British tourists are among those running for their lives.
Mum-of-three Helen Tonks, from Manchester, flew to Rhodes on Saturday night with her three daughters and husband ahead of a two-week break in the sun.
She told The Sun: “There was no communication at all.
“We came here and learned that our hotel was among the evacuees.
“They put us on a bus and took us to a school in Rhodes Old Town. There are hundreds of us here. We were placed in makeshift dormitories in classrooms.”
“Dozens are sleeping on mattresses on the basketball court at the gym.”
Officials at the British embassy in the Greek capital Athens on Saturday evening urged Britons to leave the area.
The fires in Rhodes, just off the coast of Turkey, came as Greece grappled with a prolonged bout of extreme heat.
Firefighters, supported by water bombers and reinforcements from Slovakia, fought on three fronts on Sunday.
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