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There are now a string of tourists either dead or missing after starting out on hiking trips.
Police sources say 'the problem of missing hikers is not new.....but this year it seems more people got disorientated during the heatwave.'
We had a bit of a dip in temperatures and it was delightfully cooler yesterday but temps are rising and will continue for another week.
Greeks have been warned to stay indoors and drink lots of fluids. However foreigners don't seem to get the message or understand these warnings and there are no laws to stop them hiking. They seem unaware of the risks.
Michael Mosley. Found after after 4 days. Dead
An American in Amorgos. Missing for a week.
Dutchman on Samos. Found. Dead
American missing from the island of Mathraki, near Corfu. Found yesterday. Dead
Belgian man. Crete. Dead.
2 French women. Missing on the island of Sikinos in the Cyclades.
All were near to or over 60 years of age. All of them were walking on days with blistering heat. Hiking can go wrong at any time. The 2 french women on Sikinos got in touch with their hotel by phone but didn't know where they were. They sent a photo of one of them on the ground and that was the last communication 3 days ago.
Don't veer off the track for any reason. Greek islands are full of ancient sites. You don't have to examine every stone. Barren rocky tracks make it easy to get lost, easy to slip, sprain an ankle, fall into a ravine.
Honestly at their ages they really should know better.
ReplyDeleteI hope your heat wave breaks soon
I was surprised they were all in the upper age bracket. One was 80 something. Trying to prove something? Just how stupid they were
ReplyDeleteI always carry my hiking stick, water, snacks and a charged mobile phone on my hikes. I don't think it is sensible to go walking when temperatures hit the thirties.
ReplyDeleteHiking sticks make sense. I use them when I walk on the road here. And a charged phone in your pocket. Water too.
DeleteI hope your heatwave breaks soon. Greece would be my ideal winter holiday destination - perfect temperatures (especially for hiking) but I can't understand anyone wanting to go hiking on bare islands in the sort of heat Greece gets in even a normal summer (and these people are all pale northerners like me!!!) My (Greek) friends who favour Sikinos for their summer breaks will be very upset about the media focus on their (usually) quiet island.
ReplyDeleteSikinos is small but so rocky. I've seen photos of it from a drone. It will be very difficult to spot someone down there.
DeleteI remember flying over the cyclades on my way to somewhere and looking down to see isolated white villages, narrow winding roads with nothing in between.
In those temperatures I would not want to set foot outside at all, let alone go hiking.
ReplyDeleteSpring and autumn the weather is perfect for hiking if you're that way inclined .Summer is for swimming , strolling, people watching and having a drink and snack
DeleteI have met many strangers on my travels who in places they are unfamiliar with they go off walking. I prefer the nearest bar as my blog posts will verify. I often think they are kind of showing off when later they come and tell me how far they went. I just shrug and say I enjoyed my beer.
ReplyDeleteIt's the best thing to do. Enjoy the sights and sounds, watch the natives and enjoy a local beer.
DeleteHow tragic for those folks found dead. I know from experience that if you hike in New Mexico, you take water, and turn back when it’s half gone. It is dry and hot here ~ visitors and locals are rescued from the Sandia Mountains all the time, winter and summer. They just don’t pay attention, wander off the trail, or are dehydrated, injured, etc. I hope your current group of tourists pay attention to what happened.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico sounds as though it's similar. Thats very sound advice to turn back when your water is half finished. Just the sort of advice which should be on these islands' sites
DeleteIt amazes me how people seem to think foreign places are just like their own homeland. As you are probably aware, we have similar problems here with people not respecting the mountains. Local knowledge is invaluable if you are visiting another country, and should always be consulted, so I have difficulty feeling sorry for these tragic losses of life.
ReplyDeleteTourists change as soon as they step on the plane. They start off by drinking too much there, shed too many clothes when they arrive, think the sun won't turn them red as lobsters and consider the natives ignorant.
DeleteAlas we can't chose our visitors and we need their money!
Amorgos sounds like my sort of island, I've made a mental note.
ReplyDeleteAnother smaller island but there seem to be ancient ruins all over the place, villages and beaches to visit and a lot of trails, or trials nowadays.
DeleteIt often pops up on our tv screens. Id like a stay there too. Ill probably get there first. Ill let you know what its like
Oldies not willing to admit that they are getting old and their bodies do not work as well as they used to....including balancing body water levels.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite upsetting about Dr Mosley. I have always enjoyed his TV shows and podcasts.
Yes, I wish Mosley hadn't been one of the victims. I really don't know what happened to him. He took off in totally the wrong direction. Maybe already suffering from heatstroke from the first part of the walk home
DeleteI'd love to stay on a Greek island for a week or so but not in that heat. It's pretty sad about those people.
ReplyDeleteDo not visit in July or August.....or June this year. All you want to do is swim and sit in the aircon
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