26 July 2023 , 20:16
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A dad told of his daughter’s terror as the family were forced to flee deadly fires in Rhodes.
The Bunning family were caught up in the biggest evacuation in Greek history last Saturday, as they were supposed to be celebrating daughter Lottie’s 10th birthday.
Dad Philip, 47, said he will never forget the desperate moment Lottie pleaded: “I don’t want to die on my 10th birthday, Dad.”
Hotels and restaurants on Rhodes have been hit by mass cancellations, even in “untouched” parts of the island. Owners say they fear for the future, with the fallout affecting the rest of the tourist season.
UK ambassador Matthew Lodge visited Rhodes and said tour operators had “lessons to learn”.
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A villager tries to stop the blaze (AFP via Getty Images)He said: “I am very sorry for those British nationals whose holiday has been disrupted.
“It is clear that the travel operators do have a particular set of responsibilities here.”
He added some had been “performing very well in supporting British nationals and their customers”.
British tourists have claimed French and German holidaymakers were rescued by bus very quickly while they were left marching for hours to safety.
Smoke billows over resort (East Anglia News Service)
Tourists in the Lindos Imperial (East Anglia News Service)Civil servant Philip and his teacher wife Louise, 43, were forced to ditch their luggage and flee Lindos Imperial resort in Kiotari along a beach with Lottie and her sister Olivia, 13.
They covered their mouths with wet towels as they ran two miles from the resort on the island’s south coast. He said: “I turned round and I could see flames behind us coming closer. I felt like our lives were in danger.
“My youngest daughter was saying, ‘Am I going to die?
“‘I don’t want to die on my 10th birthday, Dad’. I kept having to tell her that we would not die. I will never forget her words.”
Fire burns in the village of Gennadi (AFP via Getty Images)Philip, of Taverham, Norfolk, said the family were forced out of the hotel on the second day of their £6,000 10-day all-inclusive holiday.
He slammed Jet2 for allowing them to fly to the island as the fires raged. He said: “We arrived at the hotel at 1am on Friday and didn’t realise anything was wrong. If we had got a message about the fires we would never have gone.”
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A tour boat offered to rescue the family and other fleeing holidaymakers stranded on the beach.
Philip said: “At first they said there was only room for children. Other adults were trying to barge past the kids. In the end, they let parents on as well, so we all hopped on board.
Scorched ground near hotels in Kiotari (Christoph Reichwein/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)“It looked like the entire island was in flames behind us. I believe we were lucky to get out alive.”
The boat dropped the family off at Lardos, where they caught a taxi to Faliraki and were sent to a sports centre. The Bunnings eventually made it back to Gatwick on Monday, an estimated £9,000 out of pocket.Jet2holidays said: “The family flew to Rhodes before the authorities started to evacuate hotels. Once we learned of the evacuations, we cancelled holidays to Rhodes.”
Business owners on the island say the fires are a disaster for tourism.
Stavroula Nikolou, 37, from Aquarius Beach Hotel in Faliraki, said tourists are cancelling bookings as far ahead as September.
Tourists relax 10km from fire in Lindos (Christoph Reichwein/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)She said: “It’s worse than the Corona period. It’s a disaster for the island. But not everywhere on the island is affected. It is safe here.”
Peter Manias, 42, owner of Falirala Central hotel and the Eat Greek restaurant in Faliraki, said: “We have three months left to work and make money to last us all winter. People are scared of what’s going to happen.”
Consumer champion Which? advised tourists not to immediately ditch their travel plans.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Travellers who cancel now will likely forfeit the right to a refund and as the FCDO has not warned against travel, are unlikely to be able to claim on their insurance.
“Instead, they should wait until closer to the departure date to see if the holiday can go ahead.”
Counter-terror police are on Rhodes investigating the wildfires. Six people arrested on suspicion of arson have now been released.