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Homes were carried away by torrents, vital infrastructure was destroyed and crops in the country's second-largest tract of farmland wiped out. "I don't think we have realised the magnitude of this disaster yet," Professor Efthymios Lekkas, a disaster management expert, told state broadcaster ERT on Friday. "We have been on the mountain," Dimitris, one of the stranded villagers, told Skai television. One of the breadbaskets of Greece, Thessaly represents about 15 percent of the country's annual agricultural output. ($1 = 0.9328 euros)Additional reporting by Michele Kambas; Writing By Michele Kambas; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Efthymios Lekkas, George Tsatrafyllias, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kostas Agorastos, Dimitris, Lekkas, Michele Kambas, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Greece Storm ebbs, ERT, Thomson Locations: Larissa, Greece, Thessaly, London, Thessaloniki, Vlochos, Karditsa

☆ Severe flooding in Greece leaves at least 6 dead and 6 missing, villages cut off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows a destroyed bridge in a flooded area in the city of Karditsa, central Greece. - | Afp | Getty ImagesWidespread flooding in central Greece left at least six people dead, six missing and dozens trapped, with severe rainstorms turning streams into raging torrents, bursting dams, washing away roads and bridges, and hurling cars into the sea. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece. While much of central Greece was inundated, the fire department said a new forest fire had broken out Thursday afternoon in the northeastern region of Evros. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece.

Persons: rainstorms, Ozan Kose, Vassilis, Pavlos Marinakis, Marinakis, Will Vassilopoulos, Vasilis Vathrakogiannis Organizations: Afp, Getty, Turkish Gendarmerie, Fire, European Locations: Karditsa, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Igneada, Kirklareli, Athens, Farkadona, Evros, Soufli

☆ Man Drowns After Trying to Board Departing Ferry in Greece's Piraeus Port
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - A 36-year-old man who tried to board a passenger ship as it sailed from Greece's Piraeus port on Tuesday drowned after being pushed back by crew members off the vessel's stern ramp, the country's shipping minister said on Wednesday. The incident has shocked the country. Video footage released on social media showed crew members arguing with the man on the stern ramp just as the ferry was leaving Piraeus for the island of Crete. Varvitsiotis said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that "there is no doubt that the crime was homicide". He added that four people have been detained over the incident, which is being investigated by a prosecutor.

Persons: Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Varvitsiotis, Renee Maltezou, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Crete . Shipping, Attica Group Locations: ATHENS, Greece's Piraeus, Piraeus, Crete

☆ Greece rescues 25 migrants from deadly Evros wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Alexandros Avramidis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Acquire Licensing RightsEVROS, Greece,/ATHENS Sept 1 (Reuters) - Greece on Friday rescued a group of 25 migrants trapped in a wildfire which has been burning in the northeastern region of Evros for almost two weeks, authorities said. The wildfire in Evros, Europe's deadliest this summer, burned for a 14th day after killing at least 20 people, destroying homes and livelihoods and scorching lush forests. Evros is a popular crossing into the European Union for thousands of migrants and refugees every year. Aircraft and hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze in the Dadia Forest amid fast-changing winds on Friday. Switzerland said on Friday it will dispatch three army helicopters and personnel to help firefighting in Evros.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Ioannis Artopoios, Copernicus, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Aircraft, Reuters, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, New York City's, Wildlife Fund, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, ATHENS, Turkey, Dadia, Giannouli, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, New York, Soufli, Switzerland

☆ Greece to launch drones, temperature sensors to better fight wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Cows stand in front of a burned hill as a wildfire burns at Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Greece's prime minister said on Thursday it would launch drones and install forest temperature sensors to improve preventive firefighting after criticism from climate activists over a devastating wildfire burning for almost two weeks. He said authorities had initiated steps to acquire more than 100 drones to monitor wildfires in real time. Mitsotakis said tens of millions of euros were spent in wildfire prevention this year but that was still not enough. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said at least 30% of Greece's protected Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest had been lost.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, it's, Angeliki, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Greece's, Emergency Management Service, New York City's, Wildlife Fund, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, New York, Soufli

☆ Stricker stuns Tsitsipas in five-set thriller to reach third round
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was a tough battle but I am just super happy right now," said Stricker. "I am going to enjoy the rest of the day and then I will recover for the next round." I am a bit speechless but it is a great day," said the 21-year-old Stricker. "Such a great day for me, such a great win," Stricker added. We are working hard every day and it is so great to do that."

Persons: Dominic Stricker, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, Mike Segar, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tsitsipas, Stricker, Frank Pingue, Toby Davis Organizations: Tennis, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS, U.S ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Los Cabos, Toronto, Cincinnati, U.S

[1/4] Smoke rises as a wildfire burns at Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A wildfire burning in northeastern Greece for 11 days has destroyed an area larger than New York City, the European Union-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Tuesday, as firefighters from five countries battled to contain the flames. New York City takes up 778.2 square kilometres (300.5 square miles). Panagiota Maragou, head of conservation at the Greece division of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said at least 30% of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest had been lost to flames. Thanks to its high biodiversity, the national park was "one of the most important protected areas in Greece and also in Europe, perhaps also on an international scale", she said.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Copernicus, Jiri Nemcik, Maragou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, We've, Karolina Tagaris, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Twitter, Emergency Management Service, New York City, . Aircraft, World Wildlife Fund, of, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, New York City, Alexandroupolis, New York, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Albania, Czech, Soufli, Europe, Athens, Turkey

☆ Greece battles Europe's deadliest fire of the summer for 10th day
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] View of a burned forest following a wildfire, near the village of Avantas in the region of Evros, Greece, August 28, 2023. The fire which began near the city of Alexandroupolis has raged uncontrolled in northeastern Greece's Evros region, turbocharged by near-gale force winds and high temperatures. All but one of the victims killed so far were irregular migrants hiding in the forest. Scores of people have had to flee their homes across Greece as hundreds of wildfires erupted across the country in the second major fire outbreak of this summer. In July, some 20,000 foreign tourists were evacuated from the island of Rhodes where a wildfire burned resorts and hotels.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Pavlos Marinakis, Marinakis, Karolina Tagaris, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Copernicus, Service, Civil, Thomson Locations: Avantas, Evros, Greece, Alexandroupolis, Greece's Evros, Athens, Rhodes

☆ Take a look at the $63 million F-16 fighter jet the West has pledged to help Ukraine win the war with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Denmark and the Netherlands are sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with US approval. Ukraine has long coveted the US-made jet as it seeks to bolster its air capabilities in its war with Russia, which has a more advanced air force. Mads Claus Rasmussen/AFP/Getty ImagesSpecificationsThe F-16 is a multi-role fighter built by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force. A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US will also begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly and maintain F-16s in Arizona in October, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mette Frederiksen, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Lockheed Martin, Justin Bronk, Ethan Miller, James Hecker, It's, Stringer, John Kirby, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Al Jazeera, Kajsa Ollongren, Oleksii Reznikov, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Getty, Lockheed, US Air Force, Falcon, AIM, Royal United Services Institute, U.S . Air Force, Nevada, US Air Forces, Israeli Air Force, US National Security, Pentagon, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Denmark, Netherlands, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Indian Springs , Nevada, Europe, Romania, Athens, Al, Kyiv, Arizona

☆ Dozens of patients evacuated as Greece wildfires burn for fourth day
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Alexandros Avramidis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Patients of a chronic diseases management foundation get evacuated as a wildfire burns near Alexandroupolis, in the region of Evros, Greece, August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Acquire Licensing RightsALEXANDROUPOLIS, Greece, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Dozens of hospital patients were evacuated onto a ferry in the Greek port city of Alexandroupolis early on Tuesday, the fire brigade said, as wildfires in the area raged uncontrolled for the fourth day, killing one person. Authorities said 65 patients at the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis had been evacuated by early Tuesday as a precaution onto a ferry in the port. More than 20,000 foreign tourists had to be evacuated from the holiday island of Rhodes in July as wildfires burned for a week, destroying hotels and resorts. Fires were also burned on the island of Evia near Athens, as well as on the island of Kythnos and in Viotia in central Greece.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Ioannis Artopios, Karolina Tagaris, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Reuters, European Union, Firefighters, Thomson Locations: Alexandroupolis, Evros, Greece, Makri, Turkey, Lefkimi, East, Asia, Rhodes, Spain, Tenerife, Kavala, Dialekto, Evia, Athens, Kythnos, Viotia

☆ Greeks protest for space on the beach as pricey sunbeds multiply
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Beaches are public in Greece, a country receiving millions of tourists every year, mainly in the summer, its top tourism season. However, an increasing number of businesses have received licenses to rent out sun beds and umbrellas which they set up along a stretch of beach. In Naxos, more than 5,000 people have joined the Facebook group "Save the beaches of Naxos now! Greece has a 16,000 kilometre long coastline and hundreds of beaches where companies hire sunbeds. The country emerged from a debt crisis five years ago and relies heavily on tourism for economic recovery.

Persons: sunbeds, Ronit Nesher, Paros, Eleni Andrianopoulou, Renee Maltezou, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Facebook, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Paros, Naxos, Greece

During Greece's peak power demand this year, also on July 24, solar photovoltaics covered 3.5GW of the total 10.35GW demand, grid operator IPTO said. Even in cooler and less sunny western countries such as Belgium, solar energy has covered more than 100% of the extra energy needed during midday spikes in power demand. Analysts say a second factor has helped to keep Europe's energy systems running this summer: overall, power demand has been relatively low. That has been the case since Europe's energy crisis last year, when Russia cut gas deliveries to Europe. "The only reason why this has been bearable is the low power demand environment that we're currently in," Refinitiv's Gerl said.

Persons: Nicolas Economou, Kristian Ruby, Electrica, Nathalie Gerl, IPTO, Spain's, Refinitiv's Gerl, Simone Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Susanna Twidale, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Energy, European Commission, SolarPower, Thomson Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Europe, BRUSSELS, LONDON, Spain, Ukraine, Catania, Etna, Sicily, Athens, Belgium, Russia

☆ Pegula rallies past Svitolina to reach semis in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Aug 4, 2023; Washington, D.C., USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) hits a forehand against Elina Svitolina (UKR) (R) on day seven of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsAug 4 (Reuters) - Top seed Jessica Pegula came from behind to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Citi Open in Washington DC on Friday. The American fired a serve up the T that Svitolina could not handle to end the high-quality contest and its riveting 54-minute third set. "I have tons of respect for her," Pegula said in an on-court interview. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Geoff Burke, Svitolina, Pegula, I've, Maria Sakkari, Madison Keys, Rory Carroll, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: D.C, Citi DC, Fitzgerald Tennis, USA, Citi, Washington DC, Wimbledon, All England Club, WTA, Madison, Thomson Locations: Washington, USA, Ukraine, Los Angeles

☆ Piraeus bank Q2 profit up on higher net interest income
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, July 31 (Reuters) - Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT), Greece's third-largest lender by market value, on Monday reported higher net earnings for the second quarter from the same period last year on a rise in net interest income. The government sees growth at 2.3% this year, from 5.9% in 2022, on higher consumer spending, strong tourism and investment. Piraeus Bank, 40% owned by the country's HFSF bank rescue fund, reported net earnings of 120 million euros ($132 million) from 92 million euros in the same quarter last year. Net interest income reached 461 million euros from 266 million euros a year ago, it said. The group's non-performing loan exposure ratio (NPE) improved to 5.5% of its total loan portfolio from 9.3% in the second quarter of 2022.

Persons: Lefteris, Mark Potter Organizations: Piraeus Bank, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Piraeus

☆ Eurobank posts lower H1 profit due to higher provisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, July 31 (Reuters) - Eurobank (EURBr.AT), Greece's largest lender by market value, on Monday reported a lower net profit in the first half of the year, due to higher provisions. The bank reported net earnings of 684 million euros in the first half of 2023 from 941 million in the same period in 2022. Greek banks have cut their bad loan ratios to below 8% in 2022 from 45% in 2016 but still remain above euro zone peers. Eurobank's Non Performing Exposure ratio fell to 5.2% at the end of June, from 5.9% a year ago. Despite the fall in profit the bank's net interest income grew by 56.2% year on year in the January to June period to 1.04 billion euros, driven by higher interest rates, growing lending and its international business.

Persons: David Evanse Organizations: Athens, Thomson Locations: ATHENS

☆ Wildfires in Greece burn for days, more tourists expected to fly out
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A fire fighting aircraft drops water over a wildfire close to village of Vati in southern Rhodes on July 25, 2023. Greece battled to contain wildfires on the island of Rhodes for a seventh day on Tuesday, as hundreds of tourists who had been forced to evacuate in previous days were expected to fly back to their countries. Greece is often hit by wildfires during the summer but climate change has led to more extreme heatwaves across southern Europe, raising concerns that tourists will stay away. Wildfires also raged on the island of Corfu, off the west cost of Greece, and Evia island, near the capital of Athens. Civil protection authorities warned of extreme risk of wildfires in Rhodes and on the island of Crete on Tuesday.

Persons: Rhodes Organizations: Reuters, Rhodes Locations: Vati, Rhodes, Greece, Europe, Turkey, Slovakia, Gennadi, Corfu, Evia, Athens, Crete

☆ Peace-themed torch unveiled for Paris 2024 Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Paris 2024 Olympics - Press conference to unveil the design of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Torch - Saint-Denis, France - July 25, 2023 Designer Mathieu Lehanneur speaks at a press conference during the unveiling of the Paris 2024 Olympic torch's design REUTERS/Pascal RossignolPARIS, July 25 (Reuters) - The design of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch was unveiled on Tuesday, imitating the reflection of the Eiffel Tower on the ruffled surface of the Seine river and conveying a peaceful energy, its designer said. Creator Mathieu Lehanneur said the rounded torch was symmetrical from top to bottom and through 360 degrees, its soft curves representing peacefulness and its symmetry standing for equality between athletes. Lehanneur said he hoped the torch conveyed a visual representation of the sporting event Paris 2024 wants to deliver. "I wanted to move away from the torch appearing as an object of conquest," designer Mathieu Lehanneur told a news conference a year ahead of the Paris Games, adding that designing the torch proved infinitely more technical than he imagined at the outset. Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet called the torch "very, very beautiful."

Persons: Denis, Mathieu Lehanneur, Pascal Rossignol PARIS, Lehanneur, Michel, Tony Estanguet, Louise Dalmasso, Richard Lough, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Press, Paris, Eiffel, Paris Games, Games, Saint, Thomson Locations: France, peacefulness, Seine, Olympia, Marseille, Strasbourg, Paris

☆ Wildfires bring death and destruction to Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Fedja Grulovic And Lamine Chikhi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been "extremely rare", according to a study by World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. The heat, with temperatures topping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), is well in excess of what usually attracts tourists who flock to southern European beaches. Neighbouring Algeria deployed some 8,000 firefighters to bring its deadly fires under control, authorities said. Malta, another major Mediterranean holiday destination, suffered a raft of power cuts across the country, affecting its largest hospital, after a week-long heatwave. "I have been through 65 summers in my lifetime... and what I am seeing now is not normal, we can no longer deny it, climate change is changing our lives," Mayor Giuseppe Sala said on social media.

Persons: Rhodes Blaze, RHODES, Ramzi Boudina, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rhodes, Lanai Karpataki, Europe's sweltering, Giuseppe Sala, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, Federico Maccioni, Alvise, Lamine Chikhi, Jana Choukeir, Nayera Abdalla, David Stanway, Keith Weir, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Algeria, Rhodes, Palermo, Tunisia, Malta, ALGIERS, Sicily, China, United States, Europe, North Africa, Bejaia, Kiotari, Europe's, Milan

☆ Russia's not just seeing an exodus of people — it saw a record $239 billion worth of assets being pulled out last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Huileng Tan | Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia saw an record $239 billion in net capital outflows — i.e. According to Investopedia, capital outflows refer to the movement of assets out of a country. Outflows this significant are even larger than Greece's GDP of $219 billion in 2022, according to World Bank data. Last year's capital outflows were four times that of 2021 and 70% more than in 2008 amid the Global Financial Crisis, according to the analysis. Money transfers from Russia to Georgia rose fivefold, from $411 million in 2021 to $2.1 billion in 2022, according to data from Georgia's central bank.

Persons: It's, it's, Martin Galstyan, Armenia's News.am, Timothy Ash Organizations: —, Service, outflows, Center, Bank, Bloomberg, Novaya Gazeta, Chatham House's Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Investopedia, outflows, Armenia, Georgia, Chatham House's Russia, Eurasia

☆ Heat waves in US and Europe would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The “heat hell” searing parts of the United States and southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, while climate change made China’s heat wave at least 50 times more likely, according to a rapid attribution analysis from the World Weather Attribution initiative. They found that “the role of climate change is absolutely overwhelming,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London. The scientists found that climate change not only drastically increased the likelihood of these heat waves happening, but it is also making them hotter. Planet-heating pollution made Europe’s heat wave 2.5 degrees Celsius hotter, the North American heat wave 2 degrees Celsius hotter and China’s heatwave 1 degree Celsius hotter, according to the report. More than 61,000 people died of heat-related deaths during Europe’s record-breaking heat wave last year, according to a recent study.

Persons: Greg Baker, ”, Friederike Otto, Otto, Lefty Damian, ” Otto, Richard Allan Organizations: CNN, Northern Hemisphere, WWA, Getty, Grantham Institute, Climate, Environment, Imperial College London, Anadolu Agency, University of Reading Locations: United States, Europe, Death, Phoenix, China, Spain, Italy, Beijing, AFP, Mexico, Southern Europe, Greece's Rhodes, Greece

☆ Extreme heat in Europe is becoming the new normal — prompting tourists toward cooler destinations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tourists are evacuated as huge wildfire rages across Greece's Rhodes island on July 22, 2023. Sweltering conditions across southern Europe could accelerate a burgeoning trend among holidaymakers, as more tourists prioritize milder temperatures or off-season travel to avoid spending their time away in oppressive heat. Europe is currently experiencing some of the hottest temperatures of the summer so far, with yet another heatwave expected to push the mercury close to record-breaking levels in the coming days. The southern European country was followed closely by France (7%), Italy (7%), Greece (5%) and Croatia (5%). The popularity of Mediterranean vacation destinations, however, dropped by 10% compared to last year, when Europe experienced its hottest summer on record.

Organizations: European Travel Commission, ETC Locations: Greece's Rhodes, Europe, Greece, Spain, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Brussels, France, Croatia

☆ Tourists flown home as wildfires rage on Greek islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People evacuated take shelter at a sports hall in Venetokleio due to wildfires on Rhodes island, Greece on July 23, 2023. Tour operators began flying home holidaymakers as wildfires raged on the Greek island of Rhodes on Monday and officials said the threat of further fires was high in almost every region of the country. Fires burning since Wednesday on Rhodes forced the evacuation of 19,000 people over the weekend as an inferno reached coastal resorts on the island's southeast. Rhodes and Corfu are among Greece's top destinations for tourists mainly from Britain and Germany. Tourists spent the night on the airport floor, waiting for repatriation flights, the first of which came overnight.

Persons: Rhodes, Konstantinos Taraslias, John Hope, Mario Wiese Organizations: ERT, Tourists Locations: Venetokleio, Rhodes, Greece, Corfu, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Manchester, England, Austrian

☆ One killed in bridge collapse in the Greek city of Patras
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/4] People are seen at the site of a bridge that collapsed in Patras, Greece, July 23, 2023. Andreas Alexopoulos/Intime News via REUTERSATHENS, July 23 (Reuters) - Part of a bridge collapsed on Sunday along a ring road in Patras, Greece's third-largest city, killing one person and injuring eight, the fire brigade said. Fire brigade rescuers were on the scene to pull out any people trapped, fire brigade spokesman Ioannis Artopoios said. Part of the bridge was reduced to a mass of broken concrete slabs and iron rods and dozens of rescuers were working at the spot, footage from Greek media showed. Another fire brigade official said that the bridge had been closed last week due to reconstruction works.

Persons: Andreas Alexopoulos, Ioannis Artopoios, Angeliki, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Fire, Thomson Locations: Patras, Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Greece's

☆ Latest on the intense heat waves and scorching temperatures in Europe and the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Adrienne Vogt | Mike Hayes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Firefighters rush to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Vlyhada, Greece, on Wednesday. Stelios Misinas/ReutersSouthern Europe is experiencing very high temperatures while wildfires continue in many areas. The fire danger is expected to increase in Greece and Switzerland, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). A series of heavy thunderstorms hit a large part of the northern Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige on Tuesday afternoon. Two firefighting aircraft of the Italian firefighters' service have been deployed to the northwest of Athens, the force said on Twitter.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, SkyTG24, Gabrielius Landsbergis Organizations: Reuters, Milan, Twitter, Lithuanian Locations: Vlyhada, Greece, Reuters Southern Europe, Switzerland, Italy, Turin, Sardinia, Italian, Trentino Alto Adige, Bitsch, Valais, EU, Athens, Lithuania

ATHENS, July 19 (Reuters) - Wildfires burned for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens on Wednesday, as authorities braced for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country. At first light, air water bombers resumed operations over the towns of Mandra, west of Athens, and Loutraki, close to the Corinth canal which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese. Firefighters worked throughout the night to keep flames at bay and away from a complex of coastal refineries. Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds forced to flee towering flames which seared through hamlets on Tuesday. A year later, 101 people died in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, after a wildfire razed the town in a matter of hours.

Persons: Vassilis Varthakogiannis, Kostas Tsigas, Greece's, imploring, Andreas Theodosiadis, Michele Kambas, David Holmes Organizations: Firefighters, Traffic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Athens, Mandra, Corinth, Greece, Peloponnese, Italy, France, Rhodes, Dervenochoria, Mati

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