/Wild fires wreak havoc in Greece
GREECE forest fires have wreaked havoc on the country’s Attica region leaving at least 50 dead and over 170 casualties.
The wildfires were raging in the village of Mati, about 18 miles east of Athens, destroying homes and causing widespread damage as the flames were fuelled by dry conditions amidst a heatwave.
Greece is a popular summer hotspot, and with the school holidays having just kicked off, thousands of Brits will have booked trips to the holiday destination.
At the time of writing, there is no advice suggesting that Brits should avoid travelling there the FCO doesn’t advise against travel there following the tragedy.
Its travel advice including information for Brits who are already in Greece, is: “On 23 and 24 July, there have been wildfires in a number of areas in southern Greece, including close to Athens; they have been confined to limited areas, but within those the impact has been high, with significant loss of life; most visits to Greece, including to Athens, are unaffected; you should keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of the Greek authorities in affected areas; if you’ve been affected by the wildfires and need consular assistance, you can call the British Embassy in Athens on +30 210 7272 600; if you’re in the UK and worried about a British national in Greece, call the FCO on 020 7008 1500.”
And as the wildfires took place in the Attica region about 18 miles away from Athens, it doesn’t affect popular islands such as Crete, Rhodes and Zante. If you do have any doubts or concerns, you can contact your tour operator or airline before you travel.
Airlines that fly to Athens from the UK include easyJet , British Airways and Ryanair , none of which have reported any delays or cancellations as a result of the wildfires.
Air traffic controllers did report that some flights, mainly landings, were disrupted on Monday afternoon by low visibility and diverted elsewhere - however it appears that there are not further delays.
This could be because the fires took place far enough away from Athens and the airport meaning that air travel is unaffected.
However if you are unsure, it’s worth calling your airline before you travel to check your flight status.