Wildfires spark holiday chaos as Italian airport shut and Brits rescued from Rhodes
ITV News' Rebecca Barry and Emma Murphy report on the wildfire ravaging southern Europe
Countries across the Mediterranean are engaged in battles to bring wildfires under control as the blazes wreak havoc on Brit's holiday plans.
Thousands of holidaymakers have been evacuated from Rhodes and Corfu after wildfires endangered several popular tourist destinations.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said his nation is "at war" with the fires and the government's efforts were "completely focused" on them.
On Tuesday a firefighting plane crashed near Athens soon after it jettisoned water to combat a wildfire.
The plane crash was broadcast on Greek state television
The crash occurred on the island of Evia and was aired in a state television broadcast that showed the low-flying aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later.
Despite the fires, Housing Secretary Michael Govetold Sky News on Tuesday he is still planning to go on holiday to Evia next week.
On the Italian island of Sicily, firefighters have managed to get a wildfire that forced Palmero airport to close for several hours under control.
The island's second-largest airport closed in the early hours of the morning after flames began approaching the aircraft.
Temperatures in Palmero hit 47C on Tuesday with 55 wildfires reported on the island.
In Algeria, 10 soldiers engaged in fighting a wildfire were among 34 killed by the blaze.
The fire broke out in the resort area of Beni Ksila, east of the capital Algiers.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell estimated on Monday morning there had been as many as 10,000 British nationals on Rhodes before evacuations began.
Many people have spoken about their "traumatic" and "miserable" experiences as Europe swelters under a searing heatwave.
A newlywed couple spending their honeymoon on Rhodes said they were taken out of their hotel amid "intense" smoke and the sound of a child screaming "I don’t want to die".
Claire and Paul Jones, both 36, from Leicestershire, were moved on Saturday by coach from the Village Rhodes Beach Resort near Lardos.
Mrs Jones said: "It was really quite traumatic driving to where we went because you could see everyone fleeing their hotels, and people were walking along the beaches, walking along the roads, and they had babies and small children."
A family from Dorset were forced to sleep at a primary school on the island after ash began falling on the outdoor furniture at the villa where they were staying.
Martin Bowrey, 55, Victoria Bowrey, 51, and Hayden Bowrey, 19, left the villa in Lindos after getting an alert on their phones and slept on "slabs" in the school courtyard.
There has been little relief for the local residents of Rhodes, as many were forced to shelter in restaurants near the coast fearing for their homes.
Others were seen helping load fire engines with seawater.
Local resident Lanai Karpataki said on Monday: "The wind is very high today. It will be worse Wednesday. It's very, very bad, the situation.
"We need help. Send us help from everywhere."
Tour operators and airlines have been sending repatriation flights to bring people back from the worst-hit areas to the UK and companies have more scheduled.
A fourth repatriation flight operated by Tui brought people to the UK from Rhodes on Monday, with another scheduled for Tuesday morning, after the arrival of three flights on Sunday night.
EasyJet and Jet2 have also scheduled additional flights.
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