Vardousia peak. One of the impressive peaks of the Vardousia massif, in central Greece. Photo: © Georgios Alexandris | Dreamstime.com
Four hikers who went missing on Christmas Day have been found dead after being caught and buried by an avalanche in the Vardousia Mountains of central Greece, according to the BBC.
The lifeless bodies of the four, three men and one woman, were discovered on Friday evening following an extensive search operation in the mountainous region of Fokida, Greek public television ERT reported.
Fire crews found the victims partially covered in snow on a steep and hard-to-reach slope near Korakas Peak, at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. According to the rescuers, the group was taken by an avalanche.
Authorities said the hikers began the ascent in favorable weather conditions, but the weather quickly deteriorated due to the altitude and terrain of the area.
The spokesman for the Greek Emergency Service, Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, told the BBC that the alert was given by a friend of the three men after they did not return at the time they were expected.
“The weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and low visibility,” he said, adding that this made it difficult for drones and a helicopter to intervene, which failed to detect anything.
Difficult recovery mission
According to him, a ground team of firefighters later discovered the lifeless bodies of the three men and a woman, confirmed to be a friend of one of them and who should not have participated in the ascent.
Recovery operations were ongoing on Saturday and were described by authorities as extremely difficult.
One of the bodies was successfully transported by helicopter, and efforts are continuing to move the other three to a nearby platform, where they can be recovered with the help of a winch.
For his part, Haris Asariotakis, the head of the mission of the Greek rescue team on the spot, said that the area is particularly difficult.
“The place is about three hours' walk from the village of Athanasios Diakos at an altitude of 2,000 meters,” he said. “If the helicopter cannot reach the area, we will descend on foot, together with the firemen and mountain guides.”
Photo: © Georgios Alexandris | Dreamstime.com
