by While Dr Michael Mosely’s tragic death broke out in the UK, at least four other visitors have died on the idyllic Greek islands in recent weeks, in what meteorologists say will go down in history “.
In some areas, people were told to stay indoors between 11am and 3pm in the early summer heat amid fears of heat deaths.
Experts believe that the heat wave could be an ominous sign of the summers to come, with the country set to be at the forefront of global warming. The longest heat wave ever recorded in Greece, which lasted 16 days, was in July last year.
This week, the authorities closed the Acropolis in Athens, as well as schools and nurseries, as the temperature rose to 43C in places.
Meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos told Greek state TV channel ERT: “This heat wave will go down in history. In the 20th century, we never had a heat wave before June 19. We had many in the 21st century, but none before June 15.”
There have been several cases of tourists dying or going missing after people went on hikes in high temperatures. According to the National Observatory of Athens, the highest temperature in the country was registered at Lefkochori in Fthiotida, central Greece, at 43.2C, followed by Sparta, in the southern Peloponnese, with 43.1C.
Dr Mosley was found dead on the island of Symi earlier this month after an extensive search. A coroner determined he died shortly after going on a hike over difficult rocky terrain on June 5.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes back home in the UK, but he is not the only one who has gone missing this month.
On Sunday, search teams found the body of an American tourist on the small Greek island of Mathraki, and the remains of a missing Dutch tourist were found on Saturday on the eastern Greek island of Samos.
The 74-year-old man had recently moved to the island and was reported missing by his wife. A body was found in a gorge, about 800 meters away from Limnionas.
The unnamed tourist was still seen walking with some difficulty in the blistering heat by a local resident.
On June 5, another Dutch tourist, 67, collapsed and died of a heart attack while crossing the Mylon Gorge in Rethymno, Crete when temperatures reached 40C.
The next day, on the same island, a 70-year-old French tourist died while walking on a deserted beach between Kouremenos and Zakros in Sitia. Paramedics managed to find her but were unable to save her life.
According to Dimitris Kalatzis, who heads the Samos rescue team, missions are often made more difficult because tourists, often unaware of the risks, are on the road to see sites and get lost.
He told local media: “Yesterday we saw a few [of foreigners] walking a path in 41C without hats. It defies logic.”
Rescue teams are still looking for the two French women, aged between 64 and 73, who stayed in different hotels on the island of Sikinos in the Cyclades. It is believed that the women knew each other.
Known as the “Island of Wine”, Sikionos is one of the least touristed Aegean islands with only 386 inhabitants.
And the heat is not only on the islands. In Athens, the world-famous Acropolis, which sits on a rocky hill above the capital, and other nearby tourist attractions were closed on Thursday evening as winds from North Africa pushed temperatures towards 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit).
Firefighters who put out several wildfires on Wednesday were still on alert as strong winds were expected to hit many parts of the country.
Athens, a city of five million people sitting in a coastal bowl full of apartment blocks flanked by mountains, is one of the hottest cities in Europe.
Scientists warn that average summer temperatures could rise by two degrees by 2050. Athens mayor Haris Doukas has tried to create more shade by planting 2,000 trees.
Temperatures across the country began to ease on Friday, with forecasters saying the heat will return to the average for this time of year at 31 to 33 degrees.
The Foreign Office has said that travelers heading to Greece “should exercise caution if you are in or near an area affected by bushfires”.
He added that tourists should:
-
follow the guidance of the emergency services
-
call the Greek Emergency Services on 112 if you are in immediate danger
-
contact your airline or travel operator who can help you travel back to the UK
