The German company AIDA Cruises was forced to alter the itinerary of its AIDAblu ship due to the wildfires in Greece which affected a number of tourist destinations including the popular Katakolon (port to Olympia).
Passengers currently sailing aboard AIDAblu were informed on Tuesday, August 10, that the liner would spend a day at Heraklion (Crete Island) instead of cruising to Katakolon as scheduled.
In the Peloponnese region, villages were evacuated as a blaze raged close to the forest surrounding the archaeological spot of the ancient Olympic Games. According to Greek authorities, the fire had spread to Gortynia as it intensified late on Tuesday, August 10, forcing them to evacuate twenty villages. Regional Governor Nektarios Farmakis told state TV the ancient site had been “saved for the time being”, but warned the danger was “not over”.
Wildfires in Greece destroyed 200,000+ acres of forestland, according to the National Observatory of Athens’ weather service Meteo, with the most affected regions on Evia and in the southern Peloponnese Peninsula.