A dad says he was “scared for the safety of my daughters” amid chaotic scenes in Rhodes.
Steve Ferris and his family spent a “horrible” night on the floor of a primary school due to the impact the wildfires are having on the Greek island.
Ferris, of Cambridgeshire, says his family arrived on Saturday night and were left in the area by their coach. He says there was “utter confusion and chaos”.
He then anxiously lay awake while his family slept on mattresses on the floor of a classroom with 10 other people, reports Sky News. He said: “I worried for the safety of my two young girls, clearl.”
Ferris, whose youngest children are 12 and 14, said: “I felt very, very exposed and I don’t think, frankly, we should have taken off.”
He says that when their Tui flight departed, the captain announced it was delayed because they weren’t “completely sure it was safe to fly”. The dad says the company “clearly decided,” however that it was safe.
Having woken up in a school in Rhodes Town, the family decided to head to the hotel they booked in Pefkos. However, Ferris says they arrived to find no water or electricity.
He added: “This isn’t sustainable. We can’t be in a hotel with no running water – what might come next is pretty horrible thinking – people getting ill.”
Last night, he said, TUI sent a message telling some of the resort’s guests to evacuate. Ferris however, along with some other guests, did not receive the message.
A spokesperson for TUI UK and Ireland said: “Our teams in Rhodes have been working tirelessly to support customers impacted by the wildfires in south-eastern parts of the island.
“We have now moved all customers who had been in evacuation centres to unaffected hotels where our reps are based to look after impacted guests.”
TUI will be in touch with customers if their hotels in the south have been impacted, the company said. It added: “The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remains our top priority.”
