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ATHENS/ROM/SOFIA (dpa-AFX) - In Algeria there are many dead after fires, in Italy at least one fatality after severe storms - and in Greece it is getting even hotter: many countries on the Mediterranean are still fighting the consequences of the extreme weather. Fire departments are battling forest and wildfires. A Losch aircraft crashed during a mission on the Greek island of Euboa, killing two pilots. On Rhodes, emergency forces spoke of a difficult situation on Tuesday. More tourists were flown out from there.

Fires on Rhodes - fliers continue to head for the island

"We are experiencing the most difficult days of this summer," said a spokesman for the fire department from the civil service headquarters in Athens. He added that the fire danger remains high in almost all regions of the EU country. The emergency services are getting help from eleven EU countries. Rhodes is particularly affected. There, a third fire broke out in the southeast. Meter-high flames spread in the direction of the already evacuated village of Gennada, as eyewitnesses told dpa.

According to initial estimates by experts, about 150 square kilometers of forest and agricultural land have been destroyed in the recent fires on Rhodes. In the southeast of Rhodes, it has been burning since last week - on Saturday, about 19,000 tourists and residents from hotels and villages had to be brought to safety as a precaution. Many of them have since left, some still housed in emergency shelters such as gyms and schools. Meanwhile, the popular beach resort of Gennadi threatened to fall victim to the fire, flames already seized several houses and warehouses.

The travel company Tui spoke of several thousand guests from various countries who were flown home. On Tuesday, there was another special flight to Germany, after the four flights already made on Monday, according to a Tui spokesman. Tui has canceled all flights to the popular vacation island up to and including Friday, and for trips to the south of Rhodes this applies up to and including Sunday. The industry runner-up DER Touristik canceled all trips to the south of the island up to and including Saturday.

Nevertheless, there are further flights to Rhodes. In Hamburg, numerous people boarded the plane to the vacation island on Tuesday morning. Shortly after 6.00 o'clock had started approximately the airline Eurowings. The airline is currently continuously checking the situation on the island, said a company spokesman. Vacation is on Rhodes in many regions further moglich, only in the southeast not.

Other regions of Greece are also struggling with the consequences of drought and heat. On Corfu, a fire that had been raging for days got out of control. On the island of Euboa in northeastern Athens, fires are raging around the port city of Karystos, threatening villages. There, an airplane crashed, killing two pilots.

At least 30 dead in Algeria - storms in Italy

In the North African country of Algeria, the death toll from the fires rose to 34, according to data released Monday evening. Some 1500 people were brought to safety in villages. According to the Interior Ministry, 8000 forces were deployed to extinguish the fires. They raged Monday in the Algerian region of Beni Ksila, east of the capital Algiers, among other places. The flames quickly spread to other regions of the country in the face of strong winds.

Fires also occurred, for example, in neighboring Tunisia, in Turkey in the Antalya area and on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily. There, the north and the capital Palermo were particularly affected. The airport was temporarily closed as a result.

Meanwhile, severe storms hit northern Italy. The metropolis of Milan and large parts of Lombardy were affected on Tuesday night. There were strong gale-force winds, heavy hailstorms and rain. A 16-year-old girl died after being hit by a falling tree at a scout camp in the province of Brescia, Ansa news agency reported.

In Milan, a passenger plane operated by U.S. company Delta Air Lines was caught in a storm shortly after takeoff and had to abort its flight. The flight bound for New York was diverted to Rome, where the plane landed safely, according to Ansa. According to Italian media reports, the plane's "nose" was damaged, as was part of the wings and at least one of the two engines. The cockpit window was also said to be cracked.

An end to the extra heat is in sight

On the Mediterranean, locals and vacationers will have to brace themselves once again for extreme heat before it cools down a bit. In Greece, according to the weather office, temperatures will be well over 40 degrees in some parts of the country on Tuesday and especially on Wednesday, and even more than 46 degrees in the west. Then on Thursday, it is expected to cool down to about 35 degrees.

In Italy, temperatures are expected to drop nationwide from Wednesday. According to the current data of the private weather service ilmeteo.it, in the capital Rome about just over 30 degrees, in the south of the Mediterranean country up to 34 degrees should be reached. It is also expected to be somewhat more pleasant in Turkey.

Study: Heat waves in southern Europe practically impossible without climate change

The heat waves currently experienced in southern Europe and the southwestern United States would be virtually impossible without man-made climate change, according to a study. That's according to a report by the World Weather Attribution initiative. According to the report, extremely high temperatures over an extended period of time are no longer rare events, but are likely to occur on average every 10 years in southern Europe, every 15 years in the U.S. and Mexico, and every 5 years in China./cht/DP/nas