UK tourists in Greece issued 'red alert' and warned to 'stay in shelter'

UK tourists heading to Greek islands on holiday have been put on "red alert". A Brit holiday warning has been issued - as Greek island idyll Rhodes is hit by a staggering 5.0-mag earthquake amid a red alert over a heatwave threat.

Temperatures across the Greek islands have brought major cities to a standstill with the weather set to hit 44C on Thursday. Parts of Greece are expected to reach temperatures of up to 44C today, say heat maps from the country.

A heat warning is in place until Thursday at 8pm, with tourists being urged to stay vigilant and find shelter where possible. It comes after an earthquake was felt across swathes of Greece and Turkey, measuring a five point zero magnitude this week.

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An EMSC spokesperson said in a statement over the weather shift this week: "Our monitoring service identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.9 as well.

"Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter." Rhodes is reliably warm right into the autumn, so it’s a great place to explore once the high summer crowds have gone home.

Greece's leading earthquake expert, Professor Ethymios Lekkas, said: "The depth of the earthquake and the aftershocks that have followed are not cause for worry." People have been seen with handheld fans as they walk around parts of Greece affected by the soaring heat.

Others have been pictured sheltering using umbrellas. Locals and tourists have been urged to seek shade due to the rising heat with Brits placed on red alert over the dramatic weather shift across the holiday hotspot in the European Union destination.