Heavy rainfall caused flashing flooding on Greece's Paros island on Monday, 31 March. Drone footage captures the scale of destruction in the capital, Naousa, with damage to vehicles and authorities working to clear mud from the streets. Watch to know more!

Powerful storm brings flooding to Greek islands Paros and Mykonos

An under-construction bridge in western Greece collapsed on Sunday (July 23) and killed at least one person while several were trapped underneath, police told news agency AFP. Separately, the wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes which prompted the biggest evacuation operation ever in response to a fire the country has ever witnessed.&nbsp;

<h2>Under-construction bridge collapses</h2>

A report by AFP citing rescuers said that a bridge that was under construction collapsed near the city of Patras and some people were trapped underneath.&nbsp;The Greek police later reported that at least one person was killed and eight others were injured.&nbsp;

“We can confirm that the bridge collapsed. We are operating at the scene. There are people trapped but we don't know the exact number,” the fire brigade told AFP earlier. The&nbsp;bridge, located in the Proastio area on the road to the capital city of Athens, had been&nbsp;closed last week due to reconstruction works, said a&nbsp;fire brigade official.&nbsp;

<h2>Evacuations underway in Rhodes</h2>

According to Greek police, the wildfires on the island of Rhodes have sparked the biggest Greek evacuation operation ever in response to a fire. “We had to evacuate an area of 30,000 people. Everything thank God went smoothly. Everybody, especially tourists, followed what we ordered,” Konstantia Dimoglidou, Greek police spokeswoman told AFP.&nbsp;

She added, “This is the biggest fire evacuation ever in Greece.” This comes as wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes, on Sunday, as thousands were evacuated from coastal villages and resorts.

Tourists and island residents were told to shelter in schools and indoor stadiums while thousands spent the night outdoors. A day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wildfire-on-greek-island-of-rhodes-prompts-evacuation-of-over-2000-people-618539">more than 2,000 people</a> were evacuated using three coastguard vessels guiding more than 30 private boats from the beaches on the Greek island.&nbsp;

As of Sunday, flames had spread to the seaside villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos, while large groups of people were waiting on the streets to be evacuated. “We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people now accommodated at different structures,” said Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes.&nbsp;

A local government official told Reuters that 19,000 people had been moved away from their homes and hotels and 3,000 by boat. So far, no casualties have been reported due to the wildfires. According to Greek state television, more than 250 firefighters, assisted by 15 aircraft, were trying to contain the blaze across the island.&nbsp;

Fire brigade spokesman Ioannis Artopoios told local media that evacuees, both island residents and tourists, were housed at hotels, indoor stadiums, conference centres and school buildings. He added, “They have been given food, water and medical help.”&nbsp;

Tourists stuck on island, flights cancelled

Tour groups Jet2 and TUI, on Sunday, have cancelled flights departing for Rhodes amid the wildfires, said the two groups, in separate statements. Meanwhile, Britain’s easyJet said it was operating flights as normal to Rhodes and was closely monitoring the situation.&nbsp;

The British embassy in Athens said that the Greek foreign ministry is setting up a help desk at Rhodes Airport to help tourists leave the island, including those who have lost travel documents.

French, German, Dutch and British citizens were among the tourists on Rhodes which can receive as many as 150,000 visitors in peak season, while the resident population is 125,000. “The smoke was coming. So we all set off on foot. I walked 12 miles in this heat yesterday. It took me four hours,” said British tourist Chris Freestone as per Reuters.&nbsp;

He also spoke about how TUI did not put on enough coaches for the 800 people at Labranda hotel where he was staying which left guests waiting at the beach for boats that never arrived.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
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An under-construction bridge in western Greece collapsed on Sunday (July 23) and killed at least one person while several were trapped underneath, police told news agency AFP.

An under-construction bridge in western Greece collapsed on Sunday (July 23) and killed at least one person while several were trapped underneath, police told news agency AFP. Separately, the wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes which prompted the biggest evacuation operation ever in response to a fire the country has ever witnessed. Under-construction bridge collapses A report by AFP citing rescuers said that a bridge that was under construction collapsed near the city of Patras and some people were trapped underneath. The Greek police later reported that at least one person was killed and eight others were injured. “We can confirm that the bridge collapsed. We are operating at the scene. There are people trapped but we don't know the exact number,” the fire brigade told AFP earlier. The bridge, located in the Proastio area on the road to the capital city of Athens, had been closed last week due to reconstruction works, said a fire brigade official. Evacuations underway in Rhodes According to Greek police, the wildfires on the island of Rhodes have sparked the biggest Greek evacuation operation ever in response to a fire. “We had to evacuate an area of 30,000 people. Everything thank God went smoothly. Everybody, especially tourists, followed what we ordered,” Konstantia Dimoglidou, Greek police spokeswoman told AFP. She added, “This is the biggest fire evacuation ever in Greece.” This comes as wildfires continued to rage across the Greek island of Rhodes, on Sunday, as thousands were evacuated from coastal villages and resorts. Tourists and island residents were told to shelter in schools and indoor stadiums while thousands spent the night outdoors. A day earlier, more than 2,000 people were evacuated using three coastguard vessels guiding more than 30 private boats from the beaches on the Greek island. As of Sunday, flames had spread to the seaside villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos, while large groups of people were waiting on the streets to be evacuated. “We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people now accommodated at different structures,” said Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes. A local government official told Reuters that 19,000 people had been moved away from their homes and hotels and 3,000 by boat. So far, no casualties have been reported due to the wildfires. According to Greek state television, more than 250 firefighters, assisted by 15 aircraft, were trying to contain the blaze across the island. Fire brigade spokesman Ioannis Artopoios told local media that evacuees, both island residents and tourists, were housed at hotels, indoor stadiums, conference centres and school buildings. He added, “They have been given food, water and medical help.” Tourists stuck on island, flights cancelled Tour groups Jet2 and TUI, on Sunday, have cancelled flights departing for Rhodes amid the wildfires, said the two groups, in separate statements. Meanwhile, Britain’s easyJet said it was operating flights as normal to Rhodes and was closely monitoring the situation. The British embassy in Athens said that the Greek foreign ministry is setting up a help desk at Rhodes Airport to help tourists leave the island, including those who have lost travel documents. French, German, Dutch and British citizens were among the tourists on Rhodes which can receive as many as 150,000 visitors in peak season, while the resident population is 125,000. “The smoke was coming. So we all set off on foot. I walked 12 miles in this heat yesterday. It took me four hours,” said British tourist Chris Freestone as per Reuters. He also spoke about how TUI did not put on enough coaches for the 800 people at Labranda hotel where he was staying which left guests waiting at the beach for boats that never arrived. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Greece: One killed after bridge collapses in Patras; Rhodes wildfire forces thousands to evacuate

More than 2,000 people, including tourists, were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires have been raging out of control for five days, reported the officials in Greece, on Saturday (July 22). Firefighters, using reinforcements from Slovakia, have been working to put out the blaze which has burned for a fifth day, fanned by strong winds.

<h2>About the evacuations</h2>

So far, three coastguard vessels guiding more than 30 private boats have evacuated over 2,000 people, including tourists, from the beaches on the Greek island, according to media reports citing coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou.&nbsp;

At least 1,500 of those evacuated from areas of Kiotari and Lardos, in the southeastern part of the popular Mediterranean island, were taken to a safe beach, said the coastguard. Furthermore, those evacuated are being housed at an indoor stadium and at hotels on the island, said Konstantinos Taraslias, a deputy mayor of Rhodes.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the coastguard said that three passenger ferries were committed to host tourists during the night, reported Reuters. According to the Greek media, the fire has scorched large parts of the forest since it first broke out on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari, on Saturday, were reported damaged&nbsp;due to the wildfire and some 30 buses were used to evacuate tourists from two hotels as a precaution. So far, around 30,000 people have been taken away from the evacuated areas, said the local authorities, as per AFP.&nbsp;

<h2>Response to the wildfire</h2>

According to reports, firefighters backed by air-water bombers and reinforcements from Slovakia are struggling to put out the new outbreaks of wildfire which have been attributed to strong winds.&nbsp;

“We had set up firebreaks around the village of Laerma last night, but a 180-degree change of the winds this morning helped the fire grow much bigger across many kilometres...reaching a tourist area,” Taraslias told Open TV.

Meanwhile, ERT TV reported that some firefighters were stranded in the Ypseni Monastery near Lardos while trying to convince the nuns living there to leave the area. However, the firefighters and their commander were said to be safe.&nbsp;

Greek fire spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios said that the wildfire on Rhodes which reportedly broke out on a mountain in the centre of the island has been the most difficult challenge that they have faced yet.&nbsp;

The blaze in the Laermon and Lardos areas of the island was reported to be out of control. At least five helicopters and 173 firefighters were operating in the area. This comes as much of Europe, including Greece, is witnessing a heatwave.&nbsp;

Officials have warned of a very high risk of wildfires on Rhodes as well as several parts of Greece on Sunday as temperatures were expected to hit 45 degree&nbsp;Celsius due to the heatwave.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
 
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More than 2,000 people, including tourists, were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires have been raging out of control for five days, reported the officials in Greece, on Saturday (July 22).

More than 2,000 people, including tourists, were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires have been raging out of control for five days, reported the officials in Greece, on Saturday (July 22). Firefighters, using reinforcements from Slovakia, have been working to put out the blaze which has burned for a fifth day, fanned by strong winds. About the evacuations So far, three coastguard vessels guiding more than 30 private boats have evacuated over 2,000 people, including tourists, from the beaches on the Greek island, according to media reports citing coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou. At least 1,500 of those evacuated from areas of Kiotari and Lardos, in the southeastern part of the popular Mediterranean island, were taken to a safe beach, said the coastguard. Furthermore, those evacuated are being housed at an indoor stadium and at hotels on the island, said Konstantinos Taraslias, a deputy mayor of Rhodes. Meanwhile, the coastguard said that three passenger ferries were committed to host tourists during the night, reported Reuters. According to the Greek media, the fire has scorched large parts of the forest since it first broke out on Tuesday. Three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari, on Saturday, were reported damaged due to the wildfire and some 30 buses were used to evacuate tourists from two hotels as a precaution. So far, around 30,000 people have been taken away from the evacuated areas, said the local authorities, as per AFP. Response to the wildfire According to reports, firefighters backed by air-water bombers and reinforcements from Slovakia are struggling to put out the new outbreaks of wildfire which have been attributed to strong winds. “We had set up firebreaks around the village of Laerma last night, but a 180-degree change of the winds this morning helped the fire grow much bigger across many kilometres...reaching a tourist area,” Taraslias told Open TV. Meanwhile, ERT TV reported that some firefighters were stranded in the Ypseni Monastery near Lardos while trying to convince the nuns living there to leave the area. However, the firefighters and their commander were said to be safe. Greek fire spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios said that the wildfire on Rhodes which reportedly broke out on a mountain in the centre of the island has been the most difficult challenge that they have faced yet. The blaze in the Laermon and Lardos areas of the island was reported to be out of control. At least five helicopters and 173 firefighters were operating in the area. This comes as much of Europe, including Greece, is witnessing a heatwave. Officials have warned of a very high risk of wildfires on Rhodes as well as several parts of Greece on Sunday as temperatures were expected to hit 45 degree Celsius due to the heatwave. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes prompts evacuation of over 2,000 people

In pics: World's most beautiful freerunning event takes over Greek Islands

It's been weeks since the greek island of Evia was ravaged by wildfires and now residents are bracing for another disaster- floods. Locals are working round the clock to build barriers before the rainy season arrives. Our next report has the details.

Residents of Evia island brace to tackle floods

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Powerful storm brings flooding to Greek islands Paros and Mykonos

Greece: One killed after bridge collapses in Patras; Rhodes wildfire forces thousands to evacuate

Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes prompts evacuation of over 2,000 people

In pics: World's most beautiful freerunning event takes over Greek Islands

Residents of Evia island brace to tackle floods