ATHENS: Two Vietnamese tourists lost their lives on Friday after being swept away at sea near Sarakiniko beach on the island of Milos, as Greece battled gale-force winds that disrupted ferry services for tens of thousands of summer travellers, the coastguard confirmed.
According to a coastguard spokeswoman, the victims—a man and a woman travelling with a cruise group—were found unconscious in the water and taken to a local health Centre, where they were pronounced dead. Preliminary reports suggest the woman fell into the sea and the man entered the water in an attempt to rescue her.
The Civil Protection Ministry reported wind gusts reaching 88 kilometer’s (54 miles) per hour, particularly over the southern Aegean and the Sea of Crete. The National Weather Service (EMY) said the severe weather was expected to subside after midnight.
High winds forced the suspension of most ferry departures from Piraeus and other Athens ports to the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands. Several services were cancelled or postponed, though routes to the Saronic islands, including Aegina, Hydra, Poros, and Spetses, as well as to the Ionian Sea, remained unaffected.
The Athens National Observatory warned of an “extreme risk” of wind-driven wildfires in eastern and southern regions. On Thursday, Athens’ mayor ordered the closure of the National Garden after strong gusts toppled a tree on a busy shopping street, narrowly missing pedestrians.
Strong summer winds, known locally as meltemia, are common in Greece at this time of year.
