As wildfires triggered by the European heatwave continue to rage in Greece, and evacuations are taking place from the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, holidaymakers are wondering whether it is safe to travel to the Greek islands.
Raging wildfires have forced thousands to flee, including British tourists, as the owners of dozens of private boats pitched in to help ferry people to safety.
More than 19,000 people have been evacuated from Rhodes so far in what police told local news outlet Ellada 24 is the largest fire evacuation operation ever carried out in the country.
Meanwhile, in Corfu, evacuations were ordered on Sunday after wildfires broke out in the north-east of the Ionian island.
Follow Metro.co.uk’s live blog for latest updates on wildfires in Greece
Many tourists initially took to social media to vent their fears and frustration at not being given any information on what to do by travel companies, and some stranded Brits reported being left to sleep on sunbeds.
TUI, Jet2 and Easyjet repatriation flights are now underway, but hundreds of tourists had to spend the night sleeping on the floor of Rhodes Airport as flights home to London are delayed.
The Cerberus and Charon heatwaves are causing exteme temperatures in southern Europe, with Gythio in Greece topping the temperature charts so far at 46.4C.
So if you’re due to travel to Greece, or had been planning to book a trip there, is it safe to go?
Here is what you need to know.
Is it safe to travel to Greece?
The current advice from the Foreign Office is that if you are planning to travel to any areas in Greece which are experiencing wildfires, you should check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel.
The Foreign Office says: ‘There are a number of active wildfires in Greece due to the dry and hot weather. Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable.
‘If you are planning to travel to any areas affected by wildfires, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit.
‘The situation can change quickly, so you should stay up to date with official advice, follow 112 Greece on Twitter for official updates (you may need to translate the tweets to English). Ensure emergency alerts are enabled on your phone to receive SMS updates from the Greek Civil Protection.’
For those already in Rhodes, the Greek government has established a Crisis Management Unit to respond to the situation there. They can be contacted on +30 210 368 1730, or for 24/7 British consular assistance, call +4420 7008 5000.
Several holiday firms and airlines are cancelling flights to Rhodes, and Jet2 has cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes up to and including Sunday, July 30.
Is Crete safe from fires?
At present the latest official map below shows more than half of Crete (the very large island at the bottom of the map, with Rhodes in red to its right) as in the ‘red zone’ – at extremely high risk for fires.
If you’re due to travel to Crete, it’s important to check with your hotel, airline or tour operator, but at present, flights are continuing as scheduled.
Is Santorini safe from fires?
The island of Santorini is in the Cyclades, the small islands in yellow above Crete.
As it is currently zoned in yellow, Santorini is not at present at dangerously elevated risk for wildfires and travel to and from the island is continuing as planned.
However, the situation in Greece is fast-moving and ths could change.
Can I get a refund?
Unless you are advised to cancel your holiday by the Foreign Office, or it is cancelled by the airline or tour operator, there is no guarantee you’ll get your money back if you choose not to travel.
Most insurance policy claims will only pay out on a trip cancellation under certain circumstances, such as illness, a family bereavement or an exceptionally long delay in travel.
Airlines are also not under any obligation to refund you if you cancel a trip due to factors beyond their control.
That said, if you have a pre-existing medical condition and travelling to Greece could be a health risk, you may be able to claim a refund under the terms of your insurance policy.
Likewise, some travel experts have suggested that airlines may offer some compensation due to the current temperatures.
MORE : Tourist said people ‘can’t spend more than five minutes in the sun’ amid Europe heatwave
MORE : European countries not experiencing 40°C heatwave as continent battles deadly temperatures
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