Two cruise ship tourists found dead at beach as brutal gales batter Greece
Two cruise ship holidaymakers have died at sea in Greece after powerful gales battered a tourist hotspot,sparking travel mayhem for thousands of visitors.
A male and female passenger, both Vietnamese nationals, were discovered at Sarakiniko beach on the popular holiday island of Milos. The coastguard confirmed the pair lost their lives following a devastating incident on Friday.
A representative for the local coastguard stated: "The man and woman were found unconscious in the sea and were taken to the local health centre."
The coastguard said the pair were on a cruise when gale-force winds wreaked havoc on the island. The spokesperson said: "The woman fell in the water and the man apparently tried to save her."
According to The Greek Reporter, their bodies were retrieved by a private boat and driver before being taken to a health centre.
Greece's civil protection ministry warned of strong winds reaching up to 54 miles per hour, particularly in the southern Aegean Sea and the Sea of Crete. These severe weather conditions led to the cancellation or delay of most ferry services from Athens to these popular holiday islands, the Mirror reports.
Ferries from the main Athens ports of Piraeus, Lavrio, and Rafina to the islands in the Aegean have been cancelled until at least later today. The coastguard has advised travellers to check with their shipping companies for updates on services.
Despite this, Greece's national weather service predicted the gale-force winds would subside by Friday night. However, the Athens National Observatory cautioned that these strong winds could also pose a significant risk of wind-driven forest fires.
A fire reportedly broke out in a forest on the island of Kefalonia on Friday, leading to the evacuation of 112 people to safety.Greece was hit with horror blazes just two weeks ago, forcing tourists to flee as Athens turned red. Infernos were battled in parts of the capital and on the countries two largest islands.
Emergency crews were pictured working to stop a wildfire raging near Crete's largest city of Chania. This fire started in two separate spots and quickly spread into a larger blaze, burning down two homes.
Another fire also battered parts of Evia, north of Athens and at least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters were involved in the emergency operation. At the time, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said: "The real difficulties are ahead of us."
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