Swiss tourists have returned from Rhodes +++ firefighting plane crashed What exactly flew over La Chaux-de-Fonds today?

The firefighting plane crashed

A firefighting aircraft crashed in Greece during an operation on the island of Euboea. This is reported by the Greek state television. It was initially unclear whether the pilots survived Tuesday’s crash.

State television released a video showing the crash. You can see how the machine sheds water, flies sideways, loses altitude and hits the ground with the right wing. Then flames and smoke rise. There are usually two people on board such a fire-fighting aircraft.

According to the first information from the state broadcaster, it is a Greek civil defense aircraft and not a foreign machine that helps fight the flames. A helicopter has been used to search for the supported machine, reports a reporter from the state broadcaster. (sda/dpa)

EDA: 135 tourists returned

135 tourists returned to Switzerland on a special flight from Rhodes on Tuesday evening. However, there are also holidaymakers who want to stay despite the forest fire. The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (FDFA) answered almost 200 questions.

In total, the Airbus A320 could have accommodated 174 passengers, a spokesperson for the airline Edelweiss said on Tuesday at the request of Keystone-SDA. The special flight from the Greek island was organized by Kuoni together with ITS Coop and Edelweiss.

Several dozen customers from Kuoni and Helvetic Tours alone were on board, Kuoni’s media agency announced on request. The costs would not be passed on to them. The number of guests in Rhodes is constantly declining, Kuoni wrote. But there are also tourists who want to stay on site “or continue to plan their arrival these days, although we offer a free cancellation option until at least the end of the week”.

Since the weekend, more than 100 Kuoni travelers have returned from the Greek holiday island. However, these are also guests who have traveled on the regularly booked flight.

Only registered are known

It remains unclear how many Swiss people were affected by the evacuation of the forest fire area. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is only aware of the people who have registered with the helpline or on the “Travel Admin” website.

The EDA announced this on Tuesday at the request of Keystone-SDA. However, these registrations are not mandatory. In addition, at least 200 Swiss have their main residence on Rhodes.

Since the start of the evacuation, the FDFA helpline and local representation have answered about 190 questions. They came from those affected on the spot, but also from concerned relatives and tourists who were planning a trip to Rhodes. The FDFA has also opened a counter on site for Swiss travelers seeking assistance. The EDA wrote that it was operating all Monday. However, he was only moderately visited.

Fire brigade: worst summer days

The risk of fire remains extremely high in almost all regions of Greece. This was announced by the Greek Civil Protection on Tuesday. “We are experiencing the most difficult days of this summer,” said a spokesman for the fire department of Athens’ civil service headquarters.

Firefighters from eleven European countries support the Greeks. Nine fire-fighting planes and four fire-fighting helicopters are deployed on Rhodes; six planes and four helicopters on Corfu, said the spokesman.

A fire that had been raging for days on Corfu got out of control. For this reason, according to the information, three cities were evacuated. These are villages near the small harbor town of Kassiopi. (sda/dpa)