Marinakis: fire-stricken will have the government's support

The massive firefighting operation against the forest fires burning in Greece and the major evacuation effort carried out on the island of Rhodes dominated the press briefing given by goverment spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Monday.

Newsbomb

ENGLISH NEWS
2'

"All the government's efforts are focused on the safety of citizens and visitors and the protection of human life," Marinakis said, stressing that an estimated 19,000 people had been moved to safe locations, of which 3,000 were transferred by boat.

"It was the biggest evacuation effort in the country. People of advanced age and people with disabilities were transported in Hellenic Police vehicles, while the majority of citizens and tourists were transported in tourist boats, coast guard vessels and private boats commandeered by the coast guard," he said.

He also noted the temporary accommodation provided for those removed from their homes and hotels and said that nine people were taken to healthcare facilities with respiratory problems and discharged after receiving first aid, one man broke a bone during the evacuation of a hotel and one pregnant woman had been admitted to a maternity clinic in good condition.

Among others, he mentioned the foreign ministry Help Desk set up at Rhodes airport to assist the departure of foreign nationals that had lost travel documents, announcing that repatriation flights had been organised with TUI and Jet2. Marinakis said that 1,489 foreign nationals had returned to their countries so far, with additional staff being added to facilitate travellers at the airport.

He said flights from Rhodes were continuing as normal, with some delay due to the refuelling of firefighting planes, while operations to support the fire-stricken had already begun, with teams of engineers due to arrive within 24 hours to start assessing fire damage to buildings.

Marinakis reported that the fire on Corfu was contained to the villages Santa and Meggoula, while the front in Karystos was still burning.

The spokesperson highlighted the role of the climate crisis saying that "we are facing a new reality. This is the 12th day that there are more than 50 new fires a day simultaneously on average. This means that in this time, more than 600 fires have started," he pointed out and again urged exceptional caution to avoid starting fires.

He also announced that assessments of the damage in the aftermath of the fire and investigations into the causes will begin by the authorities, in order to provide support to those affected.