Crete wildfires: Tourists filmed fleeing and 'taken to indoor basketball arena' as hospitals put on alert - which areas of the island are affected?

Videos from the Greek island show the mayhem as holidaymakers attempt to get onto transport away from the growing fire. Families with their suitcases can be seen getting into cars and buses while a raging fire lights up a hill in the background.

“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press.

He added: “The tourists who were moved out are all ok. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island.”

A major wildfire at one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations is continuing to burn out of control after breaking out on Wednesday afternoon. The fire started in rugged forested terrain near the municipality of Lerapetra but the flames have now spread rapidly southward.

Authorities have issued evacuation orders for multiple settlements, including Achlia, Agia Fotia, Galini, Ferma, and Koutsounari. In these affected areas, emergency responders have worked tirelessly to move residents and visitors to safety.

Over 2,700 personnel from multiple agencies have been dispatched to the region, backed by eight firefighting planes, 12 helicopters, and a fleet of fire trucks and specialized equipment. Strong winds have fanned the flames, with the BBC reporting multiple destroyed homes and rental properties in Agia Fotia. This settlement is in the area around the city of Lerapetra, where many evacuated residents and tourists are now sheltering.