By Thanasis Gavou

Between seven and ten thousand is estimated number of British who are in Rhodes, the UK Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs told the BBC and Times Radio, Andrew Mitchell.

He assured that the British government would do everything possible to help those affected by the fire, including sending Foreign Office officials to Rhodes airport.

This Rapid Development team had received 20 requests for consular assistance by early Monday morning as Britons fled their hotels without travel documents, chased by the fire.

Regarding the situation in Corfu, he appeared reassuring. He said some Britons were temporarily removed from their accommodation but have returned to it. “So I hope the situation is a bit better and more stable,” Mr Mitchell told the BBC.

He added that the Foreign Office’s travel advice for Greece is monitored hourly and re-unified if deemed appropriate.

Referring to complaints that British tour operators and airlines had failed to inform their customers in Rhodes, Mr Mitchell said it appeared they were now doing what they should have been doing, which was to send empty aircraft to evacuate those who wished to do so.

“They may have started late but I’m sure they are doing everything they can to support the people whose holidays they organized“, he added.

He also called on the British to faithfully follow the instructions of their travel agencies and the Greek authorities.

Regarding the impact of climate change on frequent fires and other extreme weather events, amid reports of a possible reduction in the intensity of environmental measures by the British government, the British Under Secretary of State described the conditions in Greece and other countries as a “wake-up call” in terms of awareness of the situation.

“Climate change is real, it is now, and it is necessary for the world to fight it,” observed Andrew Mitchell.

In the same BBC radio show, the Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni noted that only a small part of Rhodes is affected and that the island’s airport is operating normally. He stressed that the priority is the safety of people, which has been achieved.

Meanwhile, TUI announced that overnight customers had returned from Rhodes to Britain on three flights.

The President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, Alicia Cairns, put the travel companies in front of their responsibilities. As he told the Telegraph, “Companies must not let British citizens down, they have a duty to help people come back. If they fail, the UK government will need to take action, but commercial flights are still fully possible.”

Ms Kearns, from the ruling Conservative Party, criticized the British government for delaying the deployment of the Foreign Office’s rapid deployment team to Rhodes, saying that calls for an evacuation had started since mid-week.

He also expressed the wish that the British government had submitted to Greece an offer of help with firefighters and equipment.