British holidaymakers on the Croatian island of Brač were forced to flee into the sea and were rescued by a flotilla of local boats after a wildfire engulfed their resort, with staff having reportedly abandoned guests without an evacuation plan. Tourist Josh Robbins said staff at the Gava Waterman Milna Resort had assured guests as late as 10pm that there was no danger and to "relax with a drink", only for flames to reach within 20ft of the hotel minutes later, prompting guests to run for the beach as embers rained down.

Around 700 people were evacuated from Brač on Sunday as hundreds of firefighters and four water-bombing aircraft tackled the blaze, which is believed to have been sparked by lightning strikes the previous Thursday before spreading to Milna. Guests described reception staff fleeing by car, blocking the resort's narrow access road and hindering fire engines, while locked doors trapped an elderly couple inside until they were forced open; about 50 local boats ultimately picked up stranded tourists from the water at around 11pm, with holiday firm TUI reportedly not sending an evacuation alert until 11.30pm. Croatian authorities have since said there are no more open flames on the island.