A travel agent has shared how he and his family have been evacuated while on holiday in Rhodes amid the devastating wildfires - praising rescuers for their "amazing" work. 

Darren Bien, head of sales and commercial at Designer Travel in Ramsbottom, is currently in the resort of Pefkos on the Greek island, which has been hit hard by the natural disaster.

In a video posted by the company, Darren heaped praise on the way the Greek government has worked together to rescue tourists such as him, his wife and son.

In the video, he said: “We were part of the evacuation up to the North where they put us in 'school number four'.

“The evacuation was very well handled by the Greek government, they were amazing.

“They told us what was happening, we had texts coming to our phone, we were bussed up there in a very safe and coordinated manner and then we were given school number four where the local people were just unbelievable.

“The way we were looked after by the local Greeks was was fantastic, so much so there were children coming in and out, foods were being donated, kids delivered food throughout the night, plenty of water was on hand, meals were made by locals and brought in.

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“We watched a stream of people just constantly pulling up in their cars to donate to the tourists.

“So, a big, big thank you to all of the Greeks and Rhodians because it was just phenomenal.

“We took it upon ourselves to come back down to Pefkos, on the way down there was no damage to the resort contrary to what people may be seeing.

“There has been damage to Kiotari which is lower down but down as far as Pefkos we’ve seen nothing at all.

“In the distance now, I can see some of the smoke but it’s no where near what it was two days ago when we did see big plumages on the beach.

“So, we are back here now to restart our holiday and have a fantastic time.

“Have to say a massive thank you to all the people in Rhodes because they have been so hospitable and made us all feel like part of a family.

"They couldn’t have done more for us.”

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Rhodes has been battling wildfires for just over a week now as Southern Europe faces a challenging heatwave.

Private boats have been travelling to the East of Rhodes to pick up people from beaches and Greek navy vessels have also been heading to the island.

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Di Victory, business development manager at Designer Travel, added: “Our team of experienced travel agents have ensured that all their clients in affected areas are continually communicated with and advised of their options in conjunction with the advice of the Greek authorities and tour Operators.

“Likewise, we have contacted our clients due to travel to discuss their options and find solutions to minimise any worries they may have and answer any questions.

“There have always been extra benefits to booking with a travel agent and situations like this have once again highlighted this added level of care, service and assurance that we pride ourselves on as a company.”

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