Latest Greece fires: An Evia plane crashes amid wildfires as thousands flee Rhodes and Corfu

A plane battling forest fires has crashed in Greece as fires rage across the country.

The Greek fire brigade confirmed The Independent That the accident occurred over the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens, where the fire caught. The spokesman said they are investigating whether there were any injuries.

Local media reported that the plane’s wing snapped a tree, with footage showing the plane then falling to the ground before the explosion was seen.

A British government minister has echoed warnings that Greece’s fires are a “wake-up call” about climate change as he said individual holidaymakers have their “choice” on whether or not to travel.

The Earl of Cortown has resisted calls for the government to change travel advice, amid warnings it is limiting consumers’ redemption potential on their holidays.

He told colleagues that the situation in Rhodes was “stabilizing” and there were no plans to repatriate holidaymakers from the island as Rhodes Airport was operating normally.

He said the Foreign Office had deployed a rapid deployment team of six British Red Cross staff and four first responders to the airport.

He added, “Everyone has their own choice of where to go for the holidays. I will be staying at home for the next six weeks.”

With the long summer holidays underway for many, our expert travel team is ready to answer your questions about the best way to tackle the coming weeks.

Travel Editor Helen Coffey will host the discussion and she will be joined by renowned travel correspondent Simon Calder and deputy travel editor Ben Parker.

The team will answer all your questions, from what to check in your passport before you travel, to how to find a last minute deal. Any answers about staying in or traveling in the UK? Plus, whether you want to find a safe deal or whether you should track separate options for flights and accommodations to get the best deal?

Firefighters found the body of an elderly woman extinguishing a fire in a Greek home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Hellenic Fire Service, Greece’s national fire and rescue service, said an investment is underway after her body was found in a family home on Posaniou Street, in Agios Achias, amid a fire that destroyed the house.

As no records are available of UK arrivals to and departures from Sicily, the best estimates of the number of British holidaymakers are provided by looking at the average number of flights to the islands’ airports each week and assuming an average stay of 10 days.

According to flight data specialist Cirium, in a typical summer peak week, there are 64 round trips scheduled from UK airports to four airports in Sicily: Palermo, Catania, Comiso and Trapani. The typical seating capacity is 12,000 and at this time of year the vast majority of passengers will be British holidaymakers. The number is currently reduced due to the closure of Catania Airport to UK flights due to a fire in the terminal.

The Independent I calculated that there were currently 15,000 British travelers in Sicily, as well as a number of longer-term residents with property – and sometimes family – on the island.

In a recent update today, Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino Airport, which was evacuated and closed overnight due to fires surrounding the area around the terminal, has partially resumed operations, as of 11am today, Tuesday 25 July.

Departing flights have been allowed, while arriving flights are being monitored due to the strong scirocco winds blowing in the area, according to local media, citing Gesap, the company that operates the airport.

Forest fires have killed 34 people in Algeria, government ministries said on Monday, including soldiers who tried to control the flames in the face of fierce winds and high summer temperatures.

The Interior Ministry said at least 1,500 people had been evacuated, without providing details, after the fires raged for several days.

The forest fires, some of which were spread by strong winds, moved through forests and agricultural areas in 16 districts, causing 97 fires in the North African country. The interior ministry said the largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia, Jijel – in the Kabylie region east of Algiers – and Bouira, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Algiers.

The firefighting operations involved at least 7,500 firefighters and 350 trucks on the ground as well as air support.

Algeria is no stranger to summer fires. At least 37 people were killed last August after forest fires broke out near Algeria’s northern border with Tunisia. A year ago, authorities said dozens were killed in the fires — including soldiers called in to help fight fires in a mountainous Kabylie region dotted with villages.

Experts warn that the UK faces a new summer of 40C and a growing threat of wildfires due to climate change, but the country is still far from prepared.

Wildfires continue to blaze across the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu for a seventh day, amid a heat wave sweeping across southern Europe.

Similarly, other parts of the world have experienced extreme weather this year. Parts of Southeast Asia are blazing hot after a “once in 200 year” heatwave swept the region in April, and Canada has seen more than 4,000 wildfires this year.

Southern Europe found itself on the front line of the climate crisis this summer, with the onset of a sweltering heatwave sending dangerously high temperatures to Italy and Spain, and wildfires now raging in the hills of Greece.

The Greek islands have been a favorite destination for British tourists for decades, but this month saw out-of-control fires spark the “largest evacuation” in its history from Rhodes while Crete, Corfu, Evia and Zante also suffered a devastating inferno.

The situation for travelers is complicated because although airlines such as Jet2 and Tui have canceled flights from British airports over the next few days and put in extra flights to bring stranded tourists home, others are continuing their flights as planned, seemingly against the better instincts of their pilots.

“Flying to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea,” one captain reportedly told his passengers atop Tanui as they set off this week.

A government minister has warned that up to 10,000 British tourists are currently fearful of being on that island at the moment and need to be evacuated, as the disaster coincides with the peak summer holiday season in the UK.

Joe Somerlad And Simon Calder a report:

Footage from a Turkish plane shows the massive devastation in Greece as the plane was flying through thick black smoke to fight forest fires.

The ground below is dark, apart from the orange glow of the fires, which can be seen for miles.

Satellite images also revealed the extent of the devastation caused by the forest fires that ravaged the central part of the island, burning homes, cars and livestock.

An average of 50 new forest fires broke out each day in the past 12 days in Greece, according to government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis. Over the weekend, 64 new fires were registered.