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Romania issues travel warning for Croatia due to severe wildfires
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania /Disasters & Emergencies

Romania issues travel warning for Croatia due to severe wildfires

From Adevฤƒrul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Romania's Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory for Croatia due to severe wildfires affecting the Adriatic coast.
  • Over 2,000 people were evacuated, and 10 are in intensive care following the fires near Omiลก.
  • Authorities described the blazes as among the worst in the country's history, with significant damage to homes and vehicles.

Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) has issued a travel warning for Croatia, urging caution due to severe wildfires that are particularly impacting the Adriatic coast. The fires have led to the evacuation of over 2,000 people from villages near Omiลก, with 10 individuals currently in intensive care.

Authorities have described the ongoing fires as some of the most severe in Croatia's history. Flames spread rapidly across hillsides near Omiลก, damaging homes and destroying vehicles in the early hours of Friday. Charred remains of cars lined the roads, some surrounded by melted metal, testament to the intense heat.

"This fire spread with the speed of lightning," Prime Minister Andrej Plenkoviฤ‡ told reporters. "What the firefighters managed to save is truly a miracle." He emphasized the densely populated nature of the region, which includes a town of 15,000 residents and an additional 12,000 tourists.

This fire spread with the speed of lightning. What the firefighters managed to save is truly a miracle.

โ€” Andrej Plenkoviฤ‡Croatia's Prime Minister commenting on the speed and severity of the wildfire.

Hospital officials reported that 40 people were admitted to Split hospital, including a German and a Polish tourist. Nearly 300 firefighters battled the blazes overnight, but struggled to keep pace with the inferno. Slavko Tucakoviฤ‡, head of Croatia's emergency service, called it "one of the worst fires in Croatia's history." He described the scene as frightening, with many houses, cafes, restaurants, cars, and boats on land sustaining damage.

While four Canadair water-dropping planes helped calm the situation in Omiลก, they were later redirected to another fire on the Peljeลกac peninsula. Wildfires are also affecting other Balkan regions amid a heatwave and drought, with Split recording a temperature of 39.7ยฐC. The MAE advises Romanian citizens to avoid affected areas and consult Croatian meteorological and transport authorities for updates.

It was frightening even to watch. Many houses, cafes, restaurants, cars, and boats that were on land were damaged.

โ€” Slavko Tucakoviฤ‡Head of the Croatian emergency service describing the impact of the fire.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Adevฤƒrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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