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A missing hiker sent a distress message to her hotel in Greece before she vanished in soaring temperatures, it has emerged.
The “relentless” search for two missing French tourists, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos has intensified since the pair went missing on Friday.
As authorities continue to scour the island, the owner of the guest house that the 73-year-old was staying in said he last heard from her when called her at around 8:30am after missing a call from her at 5:50am on the day she went missing.
The second French woman missing on Sikinos was not staying at the same hotel but authorities believe the two missing women went hiking together.
Authorities are also searching for an American man who went missing last week on the island of Amorgos. It comes as a number of tourists were found dead in recent weeks having all embarked on hikes in extreme temperatures.
Have you been affected by this? Email barney.davis.ind@independent.co.uk
Key PointsShow latest update 1718744447Pictures: Search operations as multiple tourists found dead amid soaring temperatures
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 22:00
1718740847ICYMI: Two die from heatstroke in Cyprus after killer heatwave strikes Greece
Two people have died from heatstroke in Cyprus, while others are fighting for their life in hospital, health officials have said.
On Friday, an elderly person died from heatstroke after the weeklong heatwave with reportedly record temperatures for the month of June, with temperatures in excess of 40C.
An 84-year-old woman died a day after her admission to a hospital on Friday, said State Health Services Organisation spokesman Charalambos Charilaou. He said another three elderly patients were in serious condition.
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 21:00
1718737247Temperatures to remain high – albeit down from extreme highs seen last week
Temperatures in many parts of Greece are expected to peak in the mid to high 30s this week, as searches continue for tourists who have gone missing while hiking.
In Rhodes, the mercury will hit 36C this week, according to the Met Office.
While falling from the highs of 44C seen on Thursday, Crete is expected to see highs of 30C and 31C on Monday and Tuesday, before falling some later in the week.
Santorini, close to Sikinos, where rescuers are searching for two French women missing since Friday, will see temperatures hit close to 30C over the coming days.
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 20:00
1718733647Pictures: Tourist attractions close and Greece deals with soaring temperatures
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 19:00
1718730047Travel company adapting trips according to heat levels
Radek Nowak, active product manager for Intrepid Travel – an agency that specialises in walking holidays, said they have had to adapt trips according to the heat: “The soaring summer temperatures in Europe are certainly making it more challenging for people to do more active holidays.”
Intrepid no longer runs hiking trips in Spain and Portugal during the hottest months of July and August. Winter trips have been added instead in countries such as Greece and Croatia.
Radek added: “When groups are doing walks or hikes in the warm weather, we plan our days around the weather, heading out early in the morning before the heat reaches its peak.”
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 18:00
1718726447‘Common pattern’ among fatalities and those missing in Greece, police say
As police confirmed that a 55-year-old American is among five tourists found dead in recent days amid soaring temperatures, they noted a pattern among the fatalities.
“There is a common pattern – they all went for a hike amid high temperatures,” Petros Vassilakis, police spokesman for the Southern Aegean, told Reuters of the man’s death on the island of Mathraki.
Rescue teams were also searching for two French women, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos, and a 59-year-old US policeman on Amorgos.
“There are two search operations in progress on other islands. Police, firemen and volunteers have been deployed assisted by a drone and a rescue dog,” Mr Vassilakis told Reuters.
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 17:00
1718724600Tourist missing in Greece sent worrying text to hotel owner
A 73-year-old French woman missing on the Greek island of Sikinos since Friday sent a distress message to her hotel before disappearing, the owner of the hotel claimed on Tuesday.
Ilias Gavanas, who owns the guest house where the woman was staying, said he last heard from her on Friday when he reached her by phone around 8:30 a.m. after missing a call from her at 5:50 a.m.
Barney Davis18 June 2024 16:30
1718722847Greek infrastructure struggling with extreme temperatures
The heat not only closed tourist attractions last week but schools across the country were forced to shut their doors just days before the start of the three-month-long break.
Greek schoolchildren are given three months off for summer. With temperatures rising, the holidays start in the middle of June and the next term starts again in the middle of September.
Despite schools being closed for lessons other students were forced to sit Panhellenic exams, the equivalent to A-levels, during the heatwave – many in poorly air-conditioned rooms. Parents in Athens and on the island of Thessaloniki were asked to bring fans when they dropped their children off for exams.
Workers in Athens were told to avoid activity between midday and 5pm and elderly people and those with chronic ailments were told to stay indoors.
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 16:00
1718719624Tourists often unaware of risks, says search chief
In addition to record temperatures, Greece is expected to see record levels of tourism this year.
Overtourism is an issue in Greece, as it is in other holiday hotspots across Europe. The ombudsman report said that Santorini – a small island in the Aegean Sea with 15,550 residents – receives more than 5.5 million visitors annually, twice the number it hosted in 2012.
“In Santorini, even tourists complain about the great number of tourists,” it added.
On Friday, prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with Bloomberg that the government is also considering imposing a cap on the number of cruise ships visiting the most popular tourist islands.
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 15:07
1718716594Family of British man who went missing in Greece 5 years ago ‘let down’ by police
The family of a British man who went missing in Greece five years ago have criticised the Greek authorities for how they handled the search for their loved one.
As he watched the mammoth search for TV presenter Michael Mosley unfold earlier this month, Gary Tossell drew parallels to the disappearance of his father John Tossell, who still hasn’t been found five years later.
He claims that the search and rescue teams failed to get out of their vehicles to search for him and they also had no search dogs available.
“They flew a helicopter around the island for a couple of hours to search for Dad. But the helicopter was coming in really low and fast. I’m ex-Royal Air Force and I know you will never find someone flying like that,” he told Mail+,
When the authorities called off the search five days later, Gary asked the police: “Do you think you’ve done enough to save my father? The police captain simply dropped his head and said ‘sorry’”.
He added: “All that we really want to know now – after all these years – is what really happened.”
Athena Stavrou18 June 2024 14:16
Source link : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-weather-heatwave-holiday-tourists-missing-deaths-b2564350.html?page=2
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Publish date : 2024-06-18 17:11:24
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