Greece braces for new heatwave amid ongoing wildfires in Rhodes and Corfu

Greece is preparing for another scorching heatwave starting on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius, while wildfires continue to ravage areas of Rhodes, Corfu, and Evia, according to authorities.

The capital, Athens, is expected to experience temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, and 44 degrees in central Greece, according to the meteorological authority. These high temperatures are anticipated to persist until Wednesday, following a week of extreme heat, before gradually dropping by up to five degrees on Thursday, as per the same source.

Meteorological experts have confirmed that Greece is witnessing one of the longest heatwaves in recent years, although temperatures have not yet reached their historical record of 48 degrees.

The region of Gythio in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece recorded a temperature of 46.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Meanwhile, firefighting teams continue to battle the ongoing forest fires in Rhodes, Corfu, and Evia, fueled by strong winds. These fires have engulfed thousands of hectares of forest land, but so far, no casualties have been reported.

The firefighting agencies, consisting of 266 personnel supported by two helicopters and two firefighting aircraft, are working to extinguish the fires that have been raging for eight days in Rhodes. The authorities were forced to conduct an unprecedented evacuation of thousands of tourists from the island.

In the touristic northern part of Corfu, from which around 2,500 people were evacuated overnight, 62 firefighters, helicopters, and firefighting aircraft are combating the fires.

Authorities have also reported that 93 firefighters and two aircraft are battling the fires near the town of Karystos in southern Evia.

Late on Monday, the Civil Defense urged residents to evacuate a town on this island, located near Athens, which had already suffered significant damage from wildfires two years ago.

A fourth cluster of wildfires near the city of Igoumenitsa in western Peloponnese is causing concern for the authorities.

The Greek authorities have raised the alert level to "red" in several regions of the country on Tuesday, indicating a "severe danger" of forest fires, with wind speeds expected to reach 40 km/h in the Aegean Sea.

 

 

 

 

 

AFP