https://sputnikglobe.com/20240614/tourists-in-greece-go-missing-faint-due-to-extreme-heat-1118942251.html
Tourists in Greece Go Missing, Faint Due to Extreme Heat
Tourists in Greece Go Missing, Faint Due to Extreme Heat
Sputnik International
Greece has come under a sweltering heat wave with temperatures soaring to 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).
2024-06-14T03:56+0000
2024-06-14T03:56+0000
2024-06-14T03:57+0000
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Greece has come under a sweltering heat wave with temperatures soaring to 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). Officials in Greece now fear that tourists are unprepared for the oppressive heat, as over the past week, three search and rescue operations had to be put into effect for tourists who have gone missing during solo hikes on the islands.Dimitris Katatzis, the head of one of the search and rescue teams, said that their missions were made more difficult because neglectful tourists would veer off whatever trail they were on to see a site and then get lost, The Guardian reported.The heat in Greece has grown to such a dangerous level that schools have shut down, and the culture ministry was forced to close Greece’s most popular tourist attraction: the ancient Acropolis site, as well as other archaeological sites. In an effort to keep tourists safe, the site was shut down from noon until 5pm, local time, Euronews reported.Tourists were fainting as they lined up to see the ancient site which 4 million tourists visited last year. Meanwhile, Red Cross volunteers were handing out thousands of free bottles of water as the Athens town hall set up cooling stations. The national meteorological service, EMY, described this year as a first in which record-temperatures have been registered this early in the season.British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found dead on the Greek island of Symi, close to a coastal resort on Sunday. Mosley’s widow says he walked “an incredible climb” before taking the wrong route and collapsing where he could not easily be seen by a rescue team. The heat is believed to have been a key result of the 67-year-old’s death.Emergency services were also dispatched for Eric Calibet, a 59-year-old retired Los Angeles police officer who was last seen making a solo trek across the Cycladic isle on Tuesday. By late Thursday he was reported missing. And during that same week, a third search and rescue mission was set out for a 74-year-old Dutch national, who was also pursing a five-hour hike when he went missing.The heatwave in Greece is reportedly driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa. The extreme temperatures which began last week are expected to cool off by the weekend.
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Tourists in Greece Go Missing, Faint Due to Extreme Heat
03:56 GMT 14.06.2024 (Updated: 03:57 GMT 14.06.2024) One of three search and rescue missions took five days before the body of a British television presenter was found.
Greece has come under a sweltering heat wave with temperatures soaring to 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). Officials in Greece now fear that tourists are unprepared for the oppressive heat, as over the past week, three search and rescue operations had to be put into effect for tourists who have gone missing during solo hikes on the islands.
Dimitris Katatzis, the head of one of the search and rescue teams, said that their missions were made more difficult because neglectful tourists would veer off whatever trail they were on to see a site and then get lost,
The Guardian reported.
“Yesterday we saw a couple [of foreigners] walking a trail in 106F (41C) without hats,” he told local media. “It defies logic.”
The heat in Greece has grown to such a dangerous level that schools have shut down, and the culture ministry was forced to close Greece’s most popular tourist attraction: the ancient Acropolis site, as well as other archaeological sites. In an effort to keep tourists safe, the site was shut down from noon until 5pm, local time,
Euronews reported.
Tourists were fainting as they lined up to see the ancient site which 4 million tourists visited last year. Meanwhile, Red Cross volunteers were handing out thousands of free bottles of water as the Athens town hall set up cooling stations. The national meteorological service, EMY, described this year as a first in which record-temperatures have been registered this early in the season.
British TV presenter
Michael Mosley was found dead on the Greek island of Symi, close to a coastal resort on Sunday. Mosley’s widow says he walked “an incredible climb” before taking the wrong route and collapsing where he could not easily be seen by a rescue team. The heat is believed to have been a key result of the 67-year-old’s death.
Emergency services were also dispatched for Eric Calibet, a 59-year-old retired Los Angeles police officer who was last seen making a solo trek across the Cycladic isle on Tuesday. By late Thursday he was reported missing. And during that same week, a third search and rescue mission was set out for a 74-year-old Dutch national, who was also pursing a five-hour hike when he went missing.
“I’d like to see more CCTV cameras and the lighting of these trails,” said Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, Symi’s mayor. “If there is a lesson to be learned from the tragedy [of Mosley’s death], it is that these paths need to be better looked after so that people don’t get lost.”
The heatwave in Greece is reportedly driven by southerly winds bringing hot air and dust from North Africa. The extreme temperatures which began last week are expected to cool off by the weekend.
