Couple caught in Rhodes walk kids through 'apocalyptic' island
Couple caught up in Rhodes wildfires were forced to walk their two children, 7 and 11, through ‘apocalyptic’ island as they battled to be evacuated
- Terrifying wildfires have forced holidaymakers to flee Rhodes and now Corfu
- Nick Stafford and his wife Vicki walked kids through Rhodes after a power cut
A couple who were caught up in the Rhodes wildfires were forced to walk their two children through the ‘apocalyptic’ island as they battled to be evacuated.
British father Nick Stafford, 40, his wife Vicki, also 40, and their two children, seven-year-old Emilia and 11-year-old Louis, faced ‘utter chaos’ after they were forced to flee their £350 a night hotel, leaving three suitcases behind.
Mr Stafford said coaches were only picking up hotel workers and people who had easyJet packages, leaving them no choice but to walk to the next hotel in 33 degrees heat at 11pm.
After having to rely on their phone torches with minimal battery after a power cut plunged the island into darkness, Mr Stafford told The Mirror: ‘It was pretty apocalyptic and hard work with the kids.
‘Looking ahead was completely dark on the road, but behind us, the full horizon was lit up as far as you could see.’
Emilia and Louis try to rest on the hotel floor (left) and walk through the darkness after the power cut (right)
This is the view from the family’s hotel before they were evacuated due to the wildfires in Rhodes
Smoke billows into the skies as Rhodes faces terrifying wildfires amid the blistering heatwave across Europe, forcing mass evacuations
After walking six miles, the family, who are from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, were eventually picked up by a local who took them a further two miles to another hotel.
Mr Stafford added: ‘The hotel got gradually and gradually more busy, there must have been hundreds of people. We queued at the one shop in the hotel for two hours for snacks.
‘Getting hotel breakfast was one-in-one-out and it was a scrum so we gave up on that. Ash was falling from the sky but some people were lying outside on sunbeds to sleep.’
It comes as British tourists have now been told to evacuate Corfu as another Greek holiday hotspot is devastated by wildfires with thousands of holidaymakers still caught up in hours of delays at Rhodes Airport.
Greece’s Emergency Communications Service has warned people staying or living in almost 20 areas of Corfu to evacuate to safer parts of the island.
Those in Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia and Sinies have been told to evacuate to Kasiopi amid the devastating fires. Holidaymakers in Rou, Katavolo, Kentroma, Tritsi, Kokokila, Sarakiniatika, Plagia, Kalami, Vlachatika, Kavalerena should evacuate now to Ipsos. And Brits in Viglatouri and Nisaki should flee to Barbati.
It comes as tourists returning home from Rhodes warmly embraced those waiting for them at Gatwick Airport after successfully fleeing the terrifying infernos on the Greek island.
The first Brits have arrived at Gatwick Airport wearing smiles of relief while hundreds more remain caught up in hours of delays at Rhodes Airport
A tourist from Wales waits for departing planes at the airport, after being evacuated following a wildfire on the island of Rhodes
As Brits start to come back, holidaymakers stuck in Rhodes have described the scenes at the airport as ‘absolute pandemonium’ as they try to escape the wildfires which have triggered the country’s largest disaster evacuation in history.
Stranded families have told MailOnline how they were left ‘fighting for our lives’ to try and get onto boats as desperate tourists shoved children out of the way to to force themselves on board.
Distressed holidaymakers, including young children, have been pictured lying on the floor at Rhodes Airport, while others were seen anxiously staring up at the departures board as they attempt to flee the ‘apocalyptic’ island.
The Government said on Sunday afternoon it was ‘actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes’ and is in close contact with the local authorities. The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of five staff and four British Red Cross responders who have been pictured trying to help British nationals at the airport.
After rival airlines TUI and Jet2 cancelled flights to the island, easyJet announced two repatriation flights will be sent in to bring more Brits back to London Gatwick but not until tomorrow. The airline will also send another plane on Tuesday, while Ryanair has not yet announced any cancellations.
Some families said they were told to stay put, but they decided to flee on foot in fear
Conor Cullen, 45, his wife Danielle, 41, and their two daughters, aged 11 and 13, say they have been left to ‘fend for themselves’.
The frustrated family, who live near Belfast, were evacuated from the Princess Beach Hotel in Kiotari at 4pm yesterday and taken to Gennadi where they joined thousands in waiting for rescue boats on the beach.
Mr Cullen, who works in business intelligence, told MailOnline: ‘When we made the decision to move Gennadi that was the big moment in the situation last night we had to take the bull by the horns. No one was coming to save us. We had to fend for ourselves.’
His wife Danielle, a hairdresser, added: ‘When you’re watching a movie and you just think that’s never gonna happen. Last night showed these things happen and we really were fighting for our lives trying to get on the boat.’
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