British Ambassador Matthew Lodge paid a visit on Wednesday to the island of Rhodes to personally thank everyone involved in evacuating British tourists from areas affected by the fire.
Lodge met successively with local authority representatives, volunteers, tourism agencies, and British citizens. He was updated on the development of firefighting efforts, the evacuations, and the plans for return for those who wish to cut their holidays short.
The ambassador expressed his regret and concern over the difficult circumstances the island is facing due to the continuing fires, and his appreciation for the immediate response by authorities and residents who helped in preventative evacuations of British nationals from their hotels. Among those he thanked were the men and women of the Fire Brigade, the police, the Port Authority, health authorities, the municipalities and region, residents of Rhodes who helped British people while there was an emergency.
Lodge also paid a visit to the Rhodes International Airport and met with Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry staff, who on Sunday set up a help desk for foreign citizens without travel documents who wished to return to their respective countries. Local British consulate authorities also helped, as well as a British FM task force. In addition, he paid a visit to Rodos Palace, one of the hotels that were used to host and feed evacuees from other hotels, thanking the managers.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
