The country's fire department said 19,000 people had been moved, the vast majority tourists from hotels, as blazes continued to spread uncontrollably on three fronts across the Aegean island.
About 16,000 were transferred by land; the rest went by sea. "It is the biggest operation to safely transport residents and tourists that has ever been carried out in our country," said a fire brigade spokesperson, Ioannis Artopoios, yesterday afternoon.
Officials have acted quickly to ensure tourists are moved out of harm's way as the infernos rip through pine forests on the island, which is popular for its beaches and ancient ruins.
Olga Kefalogianni, the tourism minister, was on her way to Rhodes yesterday. Greece's economy is highly dependent on tourism.
As thousands of British tourists became caught in the emergency, a Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a rapid deployment team had arrived on the Greek island to help with evacuations.
On what was being called the hottest July weekend recorded in 50 years in Greece, temperatures were predicted to reach 45C (113F), with the dry, windy conditions being perfect fuel for fires nationwide. Scores of blazes have broken out across Greece since the start of the heatwave, with new infernos erupting on the island of Evia and in the Peloponnese yesterday. Officials also ordered the precautionary evacuation of five small settlements in Corfu yesterday.
The battle to contain fires in Rhodes became an international effort as firefighters from the Czech Republic, France and Turkey rushed to the island. Paris and Ankara sent water-dumping planes to back up 49 fire brigade trucks and 266 firefighters. From the moment the evacuation alert sounded early on Saturday afternoon, tourists headed for the beach, some pulling their suitcases.
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