Three dead since Michael Mosely: Heatwave in Greece will “go down in history”

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While the tragic death of Dr Michael Mosely made headlines in the UK, at least four other visitors to the idyllic Greek islands have died in recent weeks in the grip of a heatwave that meteorologists say will “go down in history”.

In some areas, people were told to stay indoors between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. despite the scorching heat of early summer, over fears of heat-related deaths.

Experts believe the heatwave could be a devastating omen for the coming summers, as the country will be on the front line of global warming. The longest heatwave Greece has ever recorded lasted 16 days and was recorded in July last year.

Click here to read our latest updates on the search for missing tourists

The Acropolis in Athens was closed by authorities on some afternoons last week, as were schools and kindergartens, as temperatures rose to 43 degrees Celsius in some places.

Meteorologist Panos Giannopoulos told Greek state television ERT: “This heatwave will go down in history. In the 20th century we never had a heatwave before June 19. In the 21st century we had several, but none before June 15.”

Several tourists have died or disappeared after setting off on hikes in high temperatures. According to the National Observatory of Athens, the highest temperature in the country was recorded in Lefkochori in Fthiotida, central Greece, at 43.2 °C, followed by Sparta in the southern Peloponnese at 43.1 °C.

Earlier this month, Dr Mosley was found dead on the island of Symi following an extensive search. A coroner concluded that he died on June 5, shortly after hiking through difficult, rocky terrain.

His death sparked an outpouring of condolences in his native Britain, but he is not the only person to have disappeared this month.

Search crews found the body of a 55-year-old American tourist on the small Greek island of Mathraki on Sunday. He was transferred to the island of Corfu where an autopsy will be performed, a police official told Reuters on Monday.

Meanwhile, the remains of a missing Dutch tourist were found on the eastern Greek island of Samos on Saturday. The 74-year-old had only recently moved to the island and was reported missing by his wife. A body was found in a ravine around 800 meters from Limnionas. A local resident had observed the as yet nameless tourist struggling to walk in the scorching heat.

On June 5, another 67-year-old Dutch tourist collapsed and died of a heart attack while crossing the Mylon Gorge in Rethymno, Crete, in temperatures of 40 °C.

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 were able to reach her but were unable to save her life.

“There is a common pattern – they all went hiking in high temperatures,” Petros Vassilakis, police spokesman for the South Aegean, told Reuters.

According to Dimitris Kalatzis, head of the Samos rescue team, operations are often hampered by tourists, who are often unaware of the risks, straying from the sightseeing route and getting lost.

He told local media: “Yesterday we saw a couple (foreigners) walking along a hiking trail without hats in 41 degree heat. This defies all logic.”

Rescue teams are still searching for the two French women, aged 64 and 73, who were staying in different hotels on the Cycladic island of Sikinos. The two women are said to have known each other.

“Two search operations are currently underway on other islands. Police, firefighters and volunteers have been deployed, supported by a drone and a rescue dog,” said Vassilakis.

Sikionos, also called the “island of wine”, is one of the less touristy islands in the Aegean with only 386 inhabitants.

And it’s not just the islands that are being hit by the extreme heat. In Athens, the world-famous Acropolis, which sits on a rocky hill above the capital, and other nearby tourist attractions were closed on Thursday afternoon as winds from North Africa pushed temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit).

Firefighters battling several wildfires on Wednesday remained on high alert as strong winds were expected in several parts of the country.

Athens, a city of five million people in a residential-block-lined coastal area flanked by mountains, is one of the hottest cities in Europe.

Scientists warn that summer temperatures there could rise by an average of two degrees by 2050. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has tried to create more shade by planting 2,000 trees.

On Friday, temperatures began to drop across the country, with meteorologists predicting that the temperature will return to the average level of 31 to 33 degrees for this time of year.

The Foreign Ministry has stated that travelers heading to Greece should “exercise caution when in or near an area affected by wildfires.”

It goes on to say that tourists should: