Four hikers who went missing on Christmas Day have been found dead after being buried by an avalanche in the Vardousia Mountains in central Greece. The bodies of three men and a woman were discovered on Friday evening after a large-scale search in the mountainous region of Fokida, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT.
Fire authorities located the bodies partially covered by snow on a steep and inaccessible slope near the summit of Korakas peak, at an altitude of about 2,000m (6,561ft). Rescue officials stated that the group was swept away by an avalanche. The hikers had begun their ascent in favorable weather, but conditions quickly worsened due to the altitude and the area’s terrain.
Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, indicated that the alarm was raised by a friend of the three men after they failed to return at the expected time. 'Weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and poor visibility,' he noted, adding that this made it hard for both drones and a helicopter to detect anything.
Recovery efforts were initiated on Saturday, amidst what officials described as an extremely challenging operation. One of the bodies was successfully airlifted by helicopter, while efforts to recover the remaining three continue using a winch on a nearby plateau. Haris Asariotakis, head of the Hellenic Rescue Team mission at the scene, emphasized the difficulty of the location, stating, 'It is about three hours from the village of Athanasios Diakos, at an altitude of 2,000m. If the helicopter is unable to reach the area, we will descend on foot together with firefighters and mountain guides.'
Fire authorities located the bodies partially covered by snow on a steep and inaccessible slope near the summit of Korakas peak, at an altitude of about 2,000m (6,561ft). Rescue officials stated that the group was swept away by an avalanche. The hikers had begun their ascent in favorable weather, but conditions quickly worsened due to the altitude and the area’s terrain.
Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, indicated that the alarm was raised by a friend of the three men after they failed to return at the expected time. 'Weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and poor visibility,' he noted, adding that this made it hard for both drones and a helicopter to detect anything.
Recovery efforts were initiated on Saturday, amidst what officials described as an extremely challenging operation. One of the bodies was successfully airlifted by helicopter, while efforts to recover the remaining three continue using a winch on a nearby plateau. Haris Asariotakis, head of the Hellenic Rescue Team mission at the scene, emphasized the difficulty of the location, stating, 'It is about three hours from the village of Athanasios Diakos, at an altitude of 2,000m. If the helicopter is unable to reach the area, we will descend on foot together with firefighters and mountain guides.'
