The fires continue to rage: fishing boats rescue tourists from the burning island

Fishermen in Greece joined the rescue operation of 29 tourists, including children and the elderly, who were trapped on a beach in the Agios Pavlos area of ​​Crete after their hotel caught fire. According to the Greek Coast Guard, 17 of them were rescued in the first operation and another 12 in another operation, while huge fires continue to spread in Crete, Lesbos and other islands. 160 km/h,” said Captain Nikos Matiaakis, one of the fishermen who participated in the rescue, to the MEGA network. According to him, the port authority called him at 4:00 a.m. and asked him to be on alert: “We left for Agios Pavlos with coast guard boats and rescued 25 people who were trapped because of the fire. We couldn’t even get close to Agios Pavlos because of the winds. The situation was appalling. I collected the last ones while the hotel was burning and gas cylinders were exploding”.

In Greece, it was also reported that two firefighters were trapped on a mountain road near the village of Kria Varisi and died, after the winds changed direction repeatedly. A third firefighter collapsed and died during efforts to extinguish a separate fire near his cottages on the Peloponnese peninsula. According to reports, houses, Agricultural facilities and livestock on the farms were burned, but the extent of the damage is still unclear as long as the fire continues to burn.

Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute to the firefighters who were killed on Wednesday. “Our thoughts are with them, and also with all the firefighters, volunteers and members of the security forces who are fighting on the front lines of the fire, amid a new difficult reality they are called to face every year.” said.