Police said the authorities had transported some 16,000 people across land, with 3,000 evacuated by sea, and others fleeing by road or under their own transport after being told to leave the area.

Rhodes, which has a population of over 100,000, welcomed some 2.5 million tourist arrivals last year.

One German tourist said he was “saved from the fire at the last moment” after returning from the beach on Saturday to a deserted hotel.

“We had embers flying around our heads and no help was in sight,” said 23-year-old Paul from Bielefeld.

“I had the feeling of being on my own, it was so hot and the smoke was already so thick we couldn’t have survived another ten minutes.”

He said buses then arrived to evacuate the tourists, but some were so panicked they were trying to find boats to escape on from the beach.

British tourists thanked locals for their generosity. One told Greek television that shops had refused payment for water and food and small boats had taken women and children to safety first, before returning for the men.

As crowds filled Rhodes airport, the Greek foreign ministry said it was setting up a helpdesk for people who had lost travel documents.

“The aim is to protect human life,” he said.

Tourists and some locals were taken to gyms, schools and hotel conference centres on the island, while firefighters battled the blaze.

Three passenger ferries were moored at the port of Rhodes to accommodate those rescued, Athens News Agency reported.

01:25

Forced evacuations as southern Europe battles wildfires during intense heatwave

Forced evacuations as southern Europe battles wildfires during intense heatwave

Members of the coastguard, the armed forces and local authority workers used dozens of buses to help move people away from the fires, said Rhodes municipality official Teris Hatziioannou.

Where the fires had cut off road access, some tourists had to walk to safety.

Panagiotis Dimelis, head of the Archangelos village council, told Skai TV that many locals had rushed to help the tourists.

“It is an unprecedented situation for the island,” he added.

For the beach operation, the coastguard said three of its boats led more than 30 private vessels to pick up people from the Kiotari and Lardos beaches on the east of the Mediterranean island.

A Greek navy boat was also headed to the area to help, according to the coastguard.

From the moment the evacuation alert sounded early on Saturday afternoon, tourists headed for the beach, pulling their suitcases behind them.

Local video footage showed some of them with pushchairs carrying small children under the scorching sun.

Some of those seeking rescue had missed their flights off Rhodes after the fires cut off normal transport routes, according to media reports.

Elsewhere, firefighters were still trying to bring the blaze on the island under control.

Deputy Fire Chief Yannis Artopoios said the fire, which broke out on a mountain in the centre of Rhodes, was the toughest his force has faced.

Five helicopters and 200 firefighters fought the blaze during the daytime, but the air support was called off as the light failed.

The battle to extinguish the fire in the area of Laermon and Lardos, where it was raging out of control, was continuing.

German travel giant Tui said on Sunday it was suspending all of its inbound passenger flights to Rhodes until Tuesday but would fly in empty planes to help evacuate tourists.

Spokesperson Linda Jonczyk said Tui had some 40,000 tourists in Rhodes, of which 7,800 were affected by the fires.

The low-cost British carrier Jet2 also said it had cancelled “all flights and holidays” to the island.

On Sunday the blaze was burning on three active fronts, including on the southeast coast of the island where firefighters tried to prevent the flames crossing a creek.

Efforts were focusing on preventing the fire spreading further north into the dense forest.

Additional reporting by Reuters