Rescue teams evacuate tourists from Crete’s Samaria Gorge

Rescue teams evacuated the remaining 10 tourists from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium who spent the night inside a mountain gorge in Crete, after a rockfall killed a German tourist on Wednesday.

Authorities have ordered the temporary closure of the Samaria Gorge until the path is cleared of debris and safety is restored, the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (OFYPEKA) said on Thursday.

The incident happened at the narrow point of the gorge known as Portes after an intense rain, according to a local news website. The 35-year-old woman was injured in the shin by a rock and died of uncontrollable bleeding.

A team of geologists from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens are surveying the area to assess the risk of further rockfalls and on Friday, and will be joined by a team of OFYPEKA and experts from the Hellenic Geological and Mineral Research Authority.

Rescue teams evacuated the remaining 10 tourists from the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium who had to spend the night inside a mountain gorge in Crete, after a rockfall killed a German tourist on Wednesday.

Samaria Gorge was closed five times this year due to rain or heat and twice as a precaution after an earthquake. On Wednesday, however, a storm warning came after visitors had entered the canyon, according to Costas Triantis, managing director of the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA), which is responsible for the canyon’s operation.

“Samaria Gorge is closed as a precaution when an emergency bulletin is issued by Civil Protection for severe weather phenomena in Crete. Furthermore, because the gorge has its own microclimate, we get specialized forecasts from relevant scientific bodies. The canyon opens  at 7a.m., so we consult forecasts issued up to an hour in advance,” he said.

Source: ekathimerini.com