EasyJet pilot issues terrifying warning to customers before taking off to Rhodes
An easyJet pilot urged a plane of passengers not to travel to Rhodes in a terrifying warning before taking off.
A week-old wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defences on Monday, forcing more evacuations as strong winds and successive heat waves that left scrubland and forests tinder-dry fuelled three major fires raging elsewhere in Greece.
The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists were moved in buses and boats over the weekend out of the path of the fire that reached several coastal areas from nearby mountains. It was the country's biggest evacuation effort in recent years.
This comes as an easyJet pilot issued a stern warning to Brits still flying out to the wildfire-ravaged island of Rhodes on Monday.
A weeklong wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defences on Monday (AP)Thousands of exhausted holidaymakers are arriving back in the UK and have slammed the “chaotic” evacuation.
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A total of 37 passengers, including a young boy, attempted to fly out of Gatwick to Rhodes on Monday despite terrifying fires scorching the Greek island, sparking the country's biggest evacuation in history.
But in the final moments before take-off, the pilot issued a warning, urging the passengers on board the 180-seat capacity aircraft not to travel to the resort island.
Gwyn Loader, who was on the flight to Rhodes to report for BBC Wales' Welsh-language news programme Newyddion, said that eight passengers chose to listen to the advice and disembark, including the young boy who was in tears.
The pilot told passengers over the Tannoy before take-off: “Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea.”
They added: “As far as I'm concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis. Return flights are now being managed by the military. If you want to get off flight, you are welcome to do so.
Families evacuated from a beach on Rhodes (Daily Mirror)
A firefighting helicopter drops water to extinguish a wildfire (GIOTA LOTSARI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)“I don't know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is it's a bad idea.”
Temperatures reached the low 40Cs (above 104F) in parts of the Greek mainland Monday, a day after soaring as high as 45 degrees (113F).
Evacuations were also ordered overnight on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people were moved to safety by land and sea, as well as on the island of Evia and in a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region.
A firefighter holds a cat and two rabbits after rescuing them from a blaze (AFP via Getty Images)In Greece, an average of 50 new wildfires have broken out daily for the past 12 days, according to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. On Sunday, 64 new blazes were recorded.
The Rhodes fire roared down mountain slopes, burning homes and cars and leaving livestock dead on the roadside as they tried to escape.
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Authorities said no serious injuries were reported, but hospitals and health volunteers provided first aid to tourists and others, mostly for the effects of heat and dehydration.
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