Greece heatwave latest: New fire ‘every ten minutes’ amid hunt for arsonist and search for missing American
The Greek authorities are investigating whether wildfires that threatened to engulf Athens were sparked by a single arsonist.
Civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias said officials verified indications that the fire near Athens was the result of arson as well as extreme weather conditions.
A fire service spokesman has said the force is struggling to deal with the spate of blazes, adding: “Almost every 10 minutes a new fire breaks out.”
In Koropi, a storage facility and at least one home were burned, and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees. Authorities evacuated two nearby villages.
Amid the heatwave, several foreign tourists have died or gone missing while hiking in high temperatures. The girlfriend of a missing American tourist has criticised Greek authorities for allegedly doing little to help search for him.
Albert Calibet, 59, has been missing since last Tuesday while hiking on the island of Amorgos.
At least five tourists have been found dead on the Greek Islands in recent weeks.
Have you been affected by this? Email barney.davis.ind@independent.co.uk
Key Points
Girlfriend of missing former detective hits out at Greek police
Five tourists dead and three missing in extreme heat
Missing French tourist texted hotel owner to say she had fallen
Temperatures to remain high this week
Three hikers remain missing on Greek islands
15:45 , Athena Stavrou
Local police are searching for at least three tourists across two Greek islands amid soaring temperatures.
American holidaymaker Albert Calibet, 59, has been missing since last Tuesday while hiking on the island of Amorgos.
Two French women, aged 73 and 64, have also been missing since last Friday on the island of Sikinos.
Accidentally starting a fire now a criminal act - minister says
14:30 , Athena Stavrou
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias warned in a social media post that even accidentally sparking a fire in volatile conditions has become a criminal act.
He was commenting on the arrest of a 30-year-old Greek man on Tuesday for starting a wildfire in Nigrita, Serres.
Announcing the arrest, Kikilias said that the 30-year-old “confessed that while carrying out agricultural work, he caused the dangerous fire we faced in Nigrita, Serres.”
He added “the law has been made stricter and negligence constitutes a criminal act.”
Tourists warned of heatstroke risks after a number die or go missing
15:58 , Athena Stavrou
Dimitris Katatzis, head of the Samos rescue team, said tourists are unaware of the risks they face walking in the heat. Saying they often “veer off track” to see sites and then get lost. “We saw a couple [of foreigners] walking a trail in 41C without hats,” he told local media. “It defies logic.”
Dr Mohit Mandiratta, resident GP on BBC Breakfast, has warned of the complications even the healthiest people can face in the heat. He told The Independent: “Heat can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people, and be very serious if not treated immediately.
“It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually over hours, so it’s important we all stay alert to symptoms.”
Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition that occurs when your core body temperature reaches 40C or higher and must be treated immediately.
Common symptoms of heat exhaustion as tourists die while hiking in Greece
13:45 , Athena Stavrou
Common symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
· A headache
· Dizziness and confusion
· Loss of appetite and feeling sick
· Excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
· Cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
· Fast breathing or pulse
· A high temperature of 38C or above
· Extreme thirst
New forest fire breaks out
13:16 , Athena Stavrou
Another forest fire has broken out in Greece following a spate of blazes amid soaring heat.
The Hellenic Rescue Team said that ten firefighters had been sent to fight a large fire that had broken out in the Argolida area.
Brother of missing American tourist criticises US efforts
12:34 , Athena Stavrou
The brother of American tourist Albert Calibet who has been missing for over a week on the island of Amorgos, Greece, says chances are very slim he will find the missing former police officer.
In a tearful YouTube video Oliver Calibet, who arrived from California last week to join the search operation, said that Greece is doing what it can with its limited resources, but “I don’t know why the US can’t come here and help. The US is doing nothing.”
He continued: “I’m flabbergasted. This is a small little island. He should have been found days ago if the US had put in a little, a tiny little effort.”
French woman missing on island of Sikinos had sent distress text
11:14 , Athena Stavrou
One of the two French women who went missing on a Greek Island last week sent a distressing text to the hotel she was staying at before vanishing.
Authorities on the island of Sikinos are desperately searching for two French hikers,, aged 73 and 64, after the pair went missing on Friday.
It has emerged that the 73-year-old sent message to the owner of the guest house she was staying at in the morning. Ilias Gavanas told Reuters he last heard from her on Friday when he reached her by phone around 8:30am after missing a call from her at 5:50am.
He said the woman had sent him a selfie and a message saying: “I am fall”. He replied in French and English asking for her location and telling her to call the European emergency number 112, and alerted police and municipal authorities.
Rescue team issue new warning for hikers
09:58 , Athena Stavrou
The Hellenic Rescue Team, which are carrying out searches for three missing tourists, have issued a fresh warning for hikers.
Five holidaymakers have died in Greece in recent weeks, with authorities claiming the common denominator in all the disappearances being they all embarked on hikes.
The rescue team said in a social media post: “Hiking is evolving into an extremely dangerous sport, as we already count multiple victims, during the first fortnight of June, in our country.”
Who are police searching for?
08:49 , Athena Stavrou
Local police are searching for at least three tourists across two Greek islands amid soaring temperatures.
American holidaymaker Albert Calibet, 59, has been missing since last Tuesday while hiking on the island of Amorgos.
Two French women, aged 73 and 64, have also been missing since last Friday on the island of Sikinos.
Weather in Greece today
07:58 , Athena Stavrou
It is set to reach highs of 38C in parts of Greece today, as extreme temperatures continue to pose danger to holidaymakers.
Five tourists have been found dead in recent weeks as the search for at least three others missing for days after embarking on hikes continues.
The temperature in Athens is currently 31C but will reach 37C later in the day. In the port town of Katakolon, the heat will reach an unbearable 38C.
The UK Foreign Office offers wildfire advice to tourists
07:00 , Tara Cobham
The UK Foreign Office has the following advice:
“Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The situation can change quickly. Follow “112 Greece” on X (formerly known as Twitter) for official updates.
“You should:
take care when visiting or driving through woodland areas
make sure cigarette ends are properly extinguished
not light barbecues
“Causing a forest fire is treated as a criminal offence in Greece even if unintentional. If you see a forest fire, call the emergency services on 112. Forest fires can also cause travel disruption in wider areas.
“Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires. You should:
follow the guidance of the emergency services
call the Greek Emergency Services on 112 if you are in immediate danger
contact your airline or travel operator who can assist you with return travel to the UK.
enable the “Emergency Alerts” option to receive the Greek government’s emergency alerts. For:
iPhones go to Settings > Notification. Enable the “Emergency Alerts” option at the bottom.
Android 11 and higher go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Wireless Emergency Alerts
Samsung Devices go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications > Emergency Notifications. Enable the “Emergency Alerts” option
read the Greek Government’s protection guidelines in the event of a forest fire.
register via the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service (in Greek)
“For further information on the risk of forest fires, visit the Civil Protection website.”
Recap: Huge blaze closes town near Athens as Greece prepares for wildfire season
06:00 , Tara Cobham
Firefighters and aircraft in Greece battled a blaze in the town just 30 kilometres south of Athens on Wednesday.
Strong winds fanned the flames and forced residents in Koropi to flee their homes and businesses.
Traffic was suspended along a main highway connecting Koropi to Athens suburbs. One storage facility was on fire and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees, images on local TV showed.
Rich Booth reports:
Huge blaze closes town near Athens as Greece prepares for wildfire season
Last 12 months rank as warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons
05:00 , Tara Cobham
The worldwide heatwaves are occurring against a backdrop of 12 consecutive months that have ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, according to the European Union's climate change monitoring service.
The World Meteorological Organization says there is an 86 per cent chance that one of the next five years will eclipse 2023 to become the warmest on record.
While overall global temperatures have risen by nearly 1.3 C (2.3 F) above pre-industrial levels, climate change is fuelling more extreme temperature peaks - making heatwaves more common, more intense and longer-lasting.
On average globally, a heatwave that would have occurred once in 10 years in the pre-industrial climate will now occur 2.8 times over 10 years, and it will be 1.2 C warmer, according to an international team of scientists with the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group.
Scientists say heatwaves will continue to intensify if the world continues to unleash climate-warming emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
If the world hits 2 C (3.6 F) of global warming, heatwaves would on average occur 5.6 times in 10 years and be 2.6 C (4.7 F) hotter, according to the WWA.
Recap: A wildfire on the fringes of the Greek capital triggers evacuation alerts
04:00 , Tara Cobham
Scores of Greek firefighters and water-bombing aircraft were trying to contain a large wildfire on the fringes of Athens that forced authorities to issue evacuation orders on Wednesday for two nearby settlements.
Television footage showed flames coursing through low scrub and olive trees in a sparsely inhabited area near Vari, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of central Athens.
Fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the blaze spread very fast due to strong winds that at times reached gale force.
Read more here:
A wildfire on the fringes of the Greek capital triggers evacuation alerts
Countries around Mediterranean endure another week of blistering high temperatures
03:00 , Tara Cobham
Countries around the Mediterranean have endured another week of blistering high temperatures that have contributed to forest fires from Portugal to Greece and along the northern coast of Africa in Algeria, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth Observatory.
Europe this year has been contending with a spate of dead and missing tourists amid dangerous heat. A 55-year-old American was found dead on the Greek island of Mathraki, police said on Monday - the third such tourist death in a week.
In Serbia, meteorologists forecast temperatures of around 40 C (104 F) this week as winds from North Africa propelled a hot front across the Balkans. Health authorities declared a red weather alert and advised people not to venture outdoors.
Belgrade's emergency service said its doctors intervened 109 times overnight to treat people with heart and chronic health conditions.
In neighbouring Montenegro, where health authorities also warned people to stay in the shade until late afternoon, tens of thousands of tourists sought refreshment on the beaches along its Adriatic coast.
Red weather warning issued for parts of Europe as Greece put on fire alert
02:00 , Tara Cobham
People in the scorching temperatures sought relief in Belgrade’s Ada Ciganlija lake, fountains and cafes on Thursday while the Serbian government ordered employers to protect outdoor workers from the heatwave.
Meteorologists forecast temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) throughout Serbia this week as winds from North Africa pushed a hot and dry front across the Balkans.
Health authorities and meteorologists declared a “red” weather alert and advised people not to venture outside. Belgrade’s emergency service said its doctors intervened more than 100 times overnight, mainly treating people with heart and chronic conditions.
Rich Booth and Aleksandar Vasovic report:
Red weather warning issued for parts of Europe as Greece put on fire alert
In pictures: Wildfires engulf parts of Greece
01:00 , Tara Cobham
Greece prepares for wildfire season
Friday 21 June 2024 00:00 , Tara Cobham
Firefighters and aircraft in Greece battled a blaze in the town just 30 kilometres south of Athens on Wednesday.
Strong winds fanned the flames and forced residents in Koropi to flee their homes and businesses. Traffic was suspended along a main highway connecting Koropi to Athens suburbs. One storage facility was on fire and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees, images on local TV showed.
The fire is one of many so far this season, with more expected throughout the summer.
Rich Booth has the full story:
Huge blaze closes town near Athens as Greece prepares for wildfire season
Gale force winds and tinderbox like conditions spread fires easily
Thursday 20 June 2024 23:00 , Barney Davis
Scores of Greek firefighters and water-bombing aircraft succeeded late Wednesday in taming a large wildfire on the fringes of Athens that forced authorities to evacuate two nearby settlements.
Summer wildfires also plagued Greece’s Mediterranean neighbor Turkey, where two villages were evacuated but no injuries were reported.
The Greek fire service said the blaze near Athens — one of dozens all over the country Wednesday — had been largely contained but firefighters would remain on alert all evening to stop it reviving.
Officials said the wildfire was exacerbated by windy, hot and dry weather and appeared to have been deliberately started.
It broke out in low scrub and olive trees in a sparsely inhabited area near Vari, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of central Athens.
Fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said winds at times reached gale force, while police were enlisted to remove some residents from their homes.
Greece at the frontline of battle against climate change
Thursday 20 June 2024 22:00 , Barney Davis
Greece is on the frontline in the world’s battle against climate change, being hit by extreme heat and flooding in the space of just a few weeks last year. It recorded its longest heatwave on record, lasting 16 days, in July 2023. The high temperatures fuelled wildfires across the country that saw locals and tourists evacuated.
The minister responsible for civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said the last week has posed a particular wildfire risk due to the combination of high temperatures and winds. “The early start of the heatwaves, combined with the dry winter, has led to a very difficult fire season,” he said.
A total of 44 agricultural fires were reported by the fire service last Thursday alone.
Travel company adapting trips according to heat levels
Thursday 20 June 2024 21:00 , Barney Davis
Radek Nowak, active product manager for Intrepid Travel – an agency that specialises in walking holidays, said they have had to adapt trips according to the heat: “The soaring summer temperatures in Europe are certainly making it more challenging for people to do more active holidays.”
Intrepid no longer runs hiking trips in Spain and Portugal during the hottest months of July and August. Winter trips have been added instead in countries such as Greece and Croatia.
Radek added: “When groups are doing walks or hikes in the warm weather, we plan our days around the weather, heading out early in the morning before the heat reaches its peak.”
Man arrested over fire in Attica in Greece, officials say
Thursday 20 June 2024 20:00 , Tara Cobham
A man has been arrested over a fire in Attica in Greece, officials have said.
The Greek fire service said the man was arrested and fined on Thursday over the blaze in Thea Varybompis at the foot of Mount Parnitha.
Σύλληψη ημεδαπού για πυρκαγιά στη Θέα Βαρυμπόμπης, στους πρόποδες της Πάρνηθας στην Αττική
Συνελήφθη σήμερα, 20 Ιουνίου 2024, στο πλαίσιο της αυτόφωρης διαδικασίας, από Αξιωματικούς της Διεύθυνσης Αντιμετώπισης Εγκλημάτων Εμπρησμού (ΔΑΕΕ) του Πυροσβεστικού Σώματος, ημεδαπός, ως…— Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα (@pyrosvestiki) June 20, 2024
Tourists warned of heatstroke risks after a number die or go missing
Thursday 20 June 2024 19:00 , Barney Davis
Dimitris Katatzis, head of the Samos rescue team, said tourists are unaware of the risks they face walking in the heat. Saying they often “veer off track” to see sites and then get lost. “We saw a couple [of foreigners] walking a trail in 41C without hats,” he told local media. “It defies logic.”
Dr Mohit Mandiratta, resident GP on BBC Breakfast, has warned of the complications even the healthiest people can face in the heat. He told The Independent: “Heat can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people, and be very serious if not treated immediately.
“It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually over hours, so it’s important we all stay alert to symptoms.”
Heatstroke is a life-threatening condition that occurs when your core body temperature reaches 40C or higher and must be treated immediately.
Winds from North Africa are pushing a hot and dry front across the Balkans
Thursday 20 June 2024 18:00 , Barney Davis
New wildfire by Greek lake
Thursday 20 June 2024 16:42 , Barney Davis
Another wildfire broke out in a forest near Lake Volvi, in the Halkidiki area in northern Greece, on Thursday.
Some 37 firefighters with 16 vehicles have been dispatched to the area with one aircraft and a helicopter dumping water on the blaze.
A message from 112 was sent to local residents alerting them about the fire.
A fire service spokesman said told Greek TV fires were breaking out every ten minutes.
Temperatures set to hit 40C again today
Thursday 20 June 2024 14:30 , Barney Davis
Weather alert site meteoalarm.org has issued yellow and amber warnings for high temperatures across the country, which are in place throughout Thursday.
“Attica, Corinth, a large part of Argolida and Messinia, Viotia, southern Evia, as well as many islands of the Aegean (Lesvos, Chios, Cyclades etc) and southern Crete are at risk of forest fires,” according to a map created by the flame team at the National Observatory of Athens.
Thodoris Giannaros warned that the current weather “increase significantly the flammability of dead forest fuels” leading to the “perfect kindling for fire”.
Accidentally starting a fire now a criminal act - minister says
Thursday 20 June 2024 13:50 , Barney Davis
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias warned in a social media post that even accidentally sparking a fire in volatile conditions has become a criminal act.
He was commenting on the arrest of a 30-year-old Greek man on Tuesday for starting a wildfire in Nigrita, Serres.
Announcing the arrest, Kikilias said that the 30-year-old “confessed that while carrying out agricultural work, he caused the dangerous fire we faced in Nigrita, Serres.”
He added “the law has been made stricter and negligence constitutes a criminal act.”
Hellenic Rescue Team of Attica has released images as it battles fires spreading across Greece
Thursday 20 June 2024 12:24 , Barney Davis
‘Every ten minutes a new fire breaks out'
Thursday 20 June 2024 11:24 , Barney Davis
Firefighters are facing an uphill struggle containing new fires popping up all over Greece.
“Almost every 10 minutes a new fire breaks out,” a fire service spokesman said in a televised statement.
It came as Greece’s National Meteorological Service predicting winds as strong as 46mph over the rest of the week, further impeding firefighter’s efforts.
Temperatures in parts of the mainland were forecast to climb as high as 41C (106F) on Thursday.
“Even the smallest fire can rapidly turn into a fiery front,” Kikilias said in an X post, commenting on the arrest of a man who accidentally triggered a fire on Tuesday near the city of Serres in northern Greece.
Police have footage of arsonist 'sparking fire in dry weeds’
Thursday 20 June 2024 10:24 , Barney Davis
CCTV footage showing an arsonist setting fire to dry weeds is in the hands of Fire Brigade and Greek police investigators, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.
“The fire spread very fast, but there are documented indications that its cause was not weather conditions alone,” Kikilias said, referring to high-velocity winds hampering firefighters.
“The Fire Brigade and Greek police investigators have visual material that clearly shows an arsonist setting fire to dry weeds on the Vari-Koropi road, while a can of petroleum and a cloth to ignite the fire were found nearby.
“When we have permission from the Fire Brigade and Hellenic Police’s Directorate of Managing Crimes of Arson, we shall release the material to the public.”
Firefighters remain on scene to prevent wildfire flare ups
Thursday 20 June 2024 09:18 , Barney Davis
Strong firefighting forces remain to prevent flare-ups, with 155 firefighters, four ground teams, 45 vehicles, six aircraft, and 12 helicopters currently deployed around Athens.
Two villages and three private schools near the town of Koropi were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said, with traffic cut off in the vicinity.
“Fire spread rapidly in the area due to very strong winds with gusts that reached force eight on the Beaufort scale,” equal to gale speeds of 62 to 74 kilometers per hour, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told the press.
With temperatures reaching 37C in the Attica region surrounding the capital, Greece’s civil protection services warned of a “very high” fire risk Wednesday and Thursday in several parts of the country.
Wildfires near Athens caused by arsonist - minister
Thursday 20 June 2024 07:38 , Barney Davis
Civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias said officials have verified indications that the fire near Athens was the result of arson as well as extreme weather conditions.
He said there is a video and photos of the suspected arsonist and authorities will publish them.
In Koropi, a storage facility and at least one home were burned, and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees. Authorities evacuated two nearby villages.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries.
French woman missing on island of Sikinos had sent distress text
Thursday 20 June 2024 05:00 , Holly Evans
One of the two French women who went missing on a Greek Island last week sent a distressing text to the hotel she was staying at before vanishing.
Authorities on the island of Sikinos are desperately searching for two French hikers,, aged 73 and 64, after the pair went missing on Friday.
It has emerged that the 73-year-old sent message to the owner of the guest house she was staying at in the morning. Ilias Gavanas told Reuters he last heard from her on Friday when he reached her by phone around 8:30am after missing a call from her at 5:50am.
He said the woman had sent him a selfie and a message saying: “I am fall”. He replied in French and English asking for her location and telling her to call the European emergency number 112, and alerted police and municipal authorities.
Brother of missing American tourist criticises US efforts
Thursday 20 June 2024 00:30 , Holly Evans
The brother of American tourist Albert Calibet who has been missing for over a week on the island of Amorgos, Greece, says chances are very slim he will find the missing former police officer.
In a tearful YouTube video Oliver Calibet, who arrived from California last week to join the search operation, said that Greece is doing what it can with its limited resources, but “I don’t know why the US can’t come here and help. The US is doing nothing.”
He continued: “I’m flabbergasted. This is a small little island. He should have been found days ago if the US had put in a little, a tiny little effort.”
Greece expecting to hit record tourism this year as well as temperatures
Wednesday 19 June 2024 22:30 , Holly Evans
As well as record temperatures, Greece is expected to see record tourism this year. In a forecast published days before the heatwave, the National Bank of Greece said tourism is up 24 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period a year earlier. The analysts said a 20 per cent rise in international arrivals in spring suggests the country will face a longer season than expected.
On Thursday, the Greek ombudsman issued a separate report warning that the country needs to see urgent changes if it wants to see continued growth in tourism. It warned of the growing environmental risks and called for urgent reform.
It said the country needs to reduce rampant construction and protect water resources and coastal areas if it wants to maintain a healthy tourism industry across its mountainous mainland and beach-lined islands.
“Our country’s economy relies heavily on tourism which makes the need to manage it in a sustainable way even more urgent,” the report said.
Tributes to ‘hard working’ horse trainer found on Greek beach
Wednesday 19 June 2024 20:30 , Holly Evans
An American tourist who died in Greece has been identified.
Toby Sheets, a Floral Park resident for more than 20 years, was found on a beach on the Greek island of Mathraki on Sunday, his family told CBS News.
Sheets, 55, worked as the longtime assistant trainer to horse racing Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the leading horse trainer in North America by wins.
His father told CBS News Sheets was “a very hard worker and he was doing what he loved, training horses” and “will be dearly missed.”
“New York’s horse racing community grieves the loss of Toby Sheets, and NYRA extends our condolences to Toby’s family and legion of friends.” added Patrick McKenna of the New York Racing Association.
ICYMI: Two die from heatstroke in Cyprus after killer heatwave strikes Greece
Wednesday 19 June 2024 16:17 , Holly Evans
Two people have died from heatstroke in Cyprus, while others are fighting for their life in hospital, health officials have said.
On Friday, an elderly person died from heatstroke after the weeklong heatwave with reportedly record temperatures for the month of June, with temperatures in excess of 40C.
An 84-year-old woman died a day after her admission to a hospital on Friday, said State Health Services Organisation spokesman Charalambos Charilaou. He said another three elderly patients were in serious condition.
Huge blaze closes town near Athens as Greece prepares for wildfire season
Wednesday 19 June 2024 15:11 , Holly Evans
Firefighters and aircraft in Greece battled a blaze in the town just 30 kilometres south of Athens on Wednesday.
Strong winds fanned the flames and forced residents in Koropi to flee their homes and businesses.
Traffic was suspended along a main highway connecting Koropi to Athens suburbs. One storage facility was on fire and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees, images on local TV showed.
Read the full article here from my colleague Rich Booth:
Huge blaze closes town near Athens as Greece prepares for wildfire season
British teenager missing in Tenerife as family make urgent plea
Wednesday 19 June 2024 11:34 , Holly Evans
As concerns continue to grow for missing tourists in Greece, rescue efforts have been launched in the Spanish island of Tenerfie after a British teenager went missing on Monday.
Jay Slater, 19, from Lancashire, was last heard from at 8.15am as told a friend he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus, a journey expected to take around 11 hours on foot.
His friend Lucy – who had gone to the island with him to attend the NRG music festival – told the Manchester Evening News (MEN) that Mr Slater had gone to stay with people he had met on holiday after a night out.
She said she had received a call from Mr Slater as he was trying to walk back, although he had said he was lost, needed a drink of water and had only 1% battery on his phone.
His phone then cut off, with his last location showing as the Rural de Teno park – a mountainous area popular with hikers.
His family have now flown to the location and have launched a Facebook group to help with the search.
Girlfriend of missing hiker criticises Greek authorities search efforts
Wednesday 19 June 2024 10:34 , Holly Evans
The girlfriend of a missing American tourist has criticised Greek authorities for their search efforts, accusing them of acting on the bare minimum to find her partner.
Albert Calibet, 59, has been missing on the island of Amorgos since last Tuesday after setting off for a four-hour hike. An experienced walker, the former deputy at LA Sheriff’s Department had left his accommodation at 7am but failed to answer his mobile phone.
“I’m totally disgusted with the way we’ve been treated,” his partner Debbie Leshane told The New York Post. “Albert has been a first responder since he was 25 years old. Everybody deserves to be searched for. But he really, honestly deserves it.”
She and his relatives have travelled to the island themselves to form their own rescue team, after local authorities only flew a helicopter in the air for two hours.
Promises to bring in drones, sniffer dogs and more helicopter searches have been unfulfilled with the family’s attempts to pay for further assistance has allegedly been rebuffed.
Weather forecast for the coming days in Greece
Wednesday 19 June 2024 09:53 , Holly Evans
Last week, Greece recorded its earliest ever heatwave as temperatures soared to around 38C for more than three days running, as hot winds from north Africa pushed up the temperatures.
Authorities were forced to close the Acropolis and all other archaeological sites in the Greek capital, with officials on high alert for wildfires.
Many schools were also closed while emergency services continue to search for missing tourists who have fallen victim to the hot weather, with an American tourist and a French couple currently at the centre of the searches.
Over the coming days, hot conditions will continue with Athens consistently seeing highs of 35C, the popular tourist islands of Rhodes and Corfu hitting 32C and 36C, and the Cyclades Islands reaching 30C for the next week.
Greek commander says he ‘can’t remember anything like it'
Wednesday 19 June 2024 08:42 , Holly Evans
Concern has mounted among the Greek emergency services that foreign tourists are not being properly informed of the risks posed by hiking in such high temperatures.
“In all my years in the police service, overseeing such operations, I can’t remember anything like it,” said one commander on Syros.
“But we have to bear in mind that this has been the hottest June ever and all of these people decided to go out hiking. You can’t arrest someone for deciding to take a walk, and you can’t force them to stay indoors, you can only hope that while on holiday tourists will have their wits about them in such heat.”
Tributes to ‘hard working’ horse trainer found on Greek beach
Wednesday 19 June 2024 06:02 , Barney Davis
An American tourist who died in Greece has been identified.
Toby Sheets, a Floral Park resident for more than 20 years, was found on a beach on the Greek island of Mathraki Sunday, his family told CBS News.
Sheets, 55, worked as the longtime assistant trainer to horse racing Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the leading horse trainer in North America by wins.
His father told CBS News Sheets was “a very hard worker and he was doing what he loved, training horses” and “will be dearly missed.”
“New York’s horse racing community grieves the loss of Toby Sheets, and NYRA extends our condolences to Toby’s family and legion of friends.” added Patrick McKenna of the New York Racing Association.
Brother of missing American ‘flabbergasted’ at lack of help from US
Wednesday 19 June 2024 05:00 , Barney Davis
The brother of American tourist Albert Calibet who has been missing for over a week on the island of Amorgos, Greece, says chances are very slim he will find the missing former police officer.
In a tearful YouTube video Oliver Calibet, who arrived from California last week to join the search operation, said that Greece is doing what it can with its limited resources, but “I don’t know why the US can’t come here and help. The US is doing nothing.”
He continued: “I’m flabbergasted. This is a small little island. He should have been found days ago if the US had put in a little, a tiny little effort.”
In the video, Oliver Calibet disputed the official version of the search and rescue operation. “I have yet to see a helicopter. I have seen some drones and a few people searching in the trails. But this is the Greek government. I can’t be mad with them. They do what they can. I am mad with the US. I need help. This is a US citizen who needs to be brought home.”
American 55-year-old found dead on secluded Mathraki island
Wednesday 19 June 2024 03:00 , Barney Davis
Mathraki, the secluded island to the north of Corfu, is where American tourist Toby Sheets was found dead on the beach.
It is only accessible by boat from Agios Stefanos and receives very few tourists, even during the high season.
There are no buses and almost no cars, on the island with boat and motorbike the most common transport modes used by locals.
Visitors were invited to explore the island on foot.
There is no camping on the island, with only a few rooms to let around the port.
The only village in Mathraki is Chorio, on the southern side of the island.
Mathraki Island has a 2 kilometres long ribbon of sandy beach, with intermittent rock shade, stretching the across the east side of the island.
On the west side, a walk takes in the Kato Mathraki church and leads to different and varied beaches.
Greek locals growing frustrated with hiking tourists
Wednesday 19 June 2024 02:00 , Athena Stavrou
Greek locals are reportedly growing frustrated with tourists “underestimating” the extreme heat as five holidaymakers are confirmed dead.
A documentary filmmaker living in Greece told the i that tourists in Athens don’t know the intensity of the heat and said she often sees tourists hiking in temperatures that locals wouldn’t do exercise in.
“There is a sense of frustration among locals [at British tourists] but also they feel very sorry, very sad. They do not want [tourists’ deaths] to happen – it is also bad for them as a tourist destination,” she said.
Missing French woman sent distress text to hotel
Wednesday 19 June 2024 01:00 , Athena Stavrou
One of the two French women who went missing on a Greek Island last week sent a distressing text to the hotel she was staying at before vanishing.
Authorities on the island of Sikinos are desperately searching for two French hikers,, aged 73 and 64, after the pair went missing on Friday.
It has emerged that the 73-year-old sent message to the owner of the guest house she was staying at in the morning. Ilias Gavanas told Reuters he last heard from her on Friday when he reached her by phone around 8:30am after missing a call from her at 5:50am.
He said the woman had sent him a selfie and a message saying: “I am fall”. He replied in French and English asking for her location and telling her to call the European emergency number 112, and alerted police and municipal authorities.
Hiking is popular with tourists on Sikinos, a largely barren and sparsely populated island in the southern Aegean Sea, Gavanas said.
“We warn them not to go out in the heat, to always inform us where they are, to not wander off alone,” he said. “It was 40 degrees.”
The second French woman missing on Sikinos was not staying at the same hotel but authorities believe the two missing women went hiking together.
Common symptoms of heat exhaustion as five tourists die hiking in Greece
Wednesday 19 June 2024 00:01 , Athena Stavrou
Common symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
· A headache
· Dizziness and confusion
· Loss of appetite and feeling sick
· Excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
· Cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
· Fast breathing or pulse
· A high temperature of 38C or above
· Extreme thirst
Dr Mohit Mandiratta, a local GP in the Black Country, added: “To help prevent heat exhaustion drink plenty of cold drinks, take cool baths or showers and wear light-coloured and loose clothing. Try to stay out of the sun between 11am-3pm.
“If someone has heat exhaustion, move them to a cool place and get them to lie down with their feet raised slightly. Ensure they drink plenty of water and cool their skin with cold water and fan them. They should start to cool down and feel better within 30 minutes.
“If someone with heat exhaustion does not improve after 30 minutes, they may have heatstroke. You should call emergency services if they still feel unwell after drinking plenty of water.”
