Terrifying moment Rhodes tourists are loaded onto boats from beaches in total darkness to escape raging wildfires

THIS is the shocking moment hundreds of terrified tourists who had fled from burning villages in Rhodes raced for safety. The footage shows scores of people with young children desperately waiting to be loaded into boats in total darkness as wildfires raged behind them on the Greek island. Twitter - Lucas VelidakisThe shocking footage as holidaymakers are loaded onto boats to be taken to safety[/caption] Twitter - Lucas VelidakisScores of people waited restlessly lit up by the orange glow of the fires and search lights[/caption] AFPOther tourists evacuating on foot as the British embassy told all Brits to leave[/caption] In the video, masses of restless and exhausted tourists are stranded on the beach and hoping to be loaded onto the next boat by the Red Cross. There IS shouting and muffled crying as a menacing red glow lights up the sky and the flames near the beach. Greek authorities are saying it is the largest evacuation mission that has ever taken place in the country as rescue workers rush people to safety by both land and sea. Over 30,000 have been forced to move after being threatened by the wildfires, including more than 2,500 ferried straight off beaches. Dan Jones and his family, including his three young sons, were forced to wade into the sea and climb into a fishing trawler to evade the fires. He described it as: “The scariest moment in my entire life.” “I don’t know how they’ll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys,” he added alongside a picture of his sons now onboard the boat with the fires now behind them. Coastguard vessels and more than 20 private boats took part in an operation as well as the Red Cross to evacuate swathes of tourists and local residents on Saturday late into the night. British Embassy officials in Athens have urged all Brits to evacuate. The flames have burned for nearly a week on Rhodes as Greece has been battered by an extended spell of extreme heat that has made it challenging to contain the fast-spreading blaze. More than 200 firefighters fought the blaze during the night, while the air support started early on Sunday as the fires spread. Extraordinary scenes yesterday showed columns of people carrying their luggage and children on-foot trying to escape. The fire has scorched swathes of forest and also burned buildings and hotels since breaking out in a mountainous area on Tuesday. The blaze spread to at least three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari caught fire on Saturday. And the battle is expected to worsen today, with more whipping winds blasting across the island and fanning the flames. “The wind is expected to become more intense from 12 to 5 pm, without excluding the possibility that could happen earlier,” said fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis. “This is not a fire that will be over tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he added. “It’ll be troubling us for days.” The fires during the night reached the village of Laerma and were burning houses and a church there, while many hotels were damaged by the flames that on some occasions even reached the sea. Fleeing Brits have spent the night in makeshift camps across the island – with young kids forced to sleep on the floor or on mattresses in classrooms and gyms. AFPThe fires spread overnight[/caption] EPAHolidaymakers have rushed to beaches to try and escape via boats[/caption] AFPParts of the island have descended into a fiery blaze[/caption] AFPOther tourists have been evacuated by road – some even taken straight from beaches[/caption]