Holidaymakers ‘run into sea’ as they watch resort go up in flames

Tourists were reportedly told to ‘relax with a drink’ as a fire engulfed a resort in Croatia.

Holidaymakers say they were forced to run to the sea after the Gava Waterman Milna Resort,on the island of Brac,went up in flames on Sunday night.

But guests,including those who had booked their holidays through TUI,claim they felt ‘abandoned’.

Around 50 boats manned by residents in the area were sent out to rescue holidaymakers from the shoreline,with almost 700 people taken fron the island.

No one was injured,but people staying at the resort have criticised the hotel’s evacuation plan.

Josh Robbins,26,was staying at the resort and claimed that staff said the fire posed no threat and that guests were even told to return to their rooms and even to ‘relax with a drink’.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Five minutes later,Josh said he went outside and saw the flames had travelled to within 20ft of the building.Speaking to The Sun,he said: ‘It was terrifying.’It is believed a wildfire broke out on Thursday,caused by lightning strikes in the area. The flames are then believed to have spread east in the direction of Milna the following day.Hundreds of firefighters were called to the scene to bring the blaze under control. Croatian authorities have since confirmed that there are no longer open flames on the island.He said: ‘We realised fire was about to engulf the hotel and decided to run down the path to the wooden dock to the sea to escape.’Local boats came to the guests’ aid at around 11pm,but some guests claimed on Facebook that this was about half an hour before TUI’s evacuation alert reached the phones of holidaymakers.All of the people evacuated were taken to Split unharmed.Around a third of those staying at the resort were British,and many had booked all-inclusive packages through TUI,to the tune of £1,800 a week.A spokesman for TUI said: ‘We know this will have been a distressing experience for those affected by the wildfire on the island of Brac.‘The safety of our customers is our highest priority and our local teams have been supporting those impacted and working closely with the hotel and local authorities.’