Environmental Crisis Unfolds in Volos: Fish Carcasses Blanket Tourist Hotspot

Greek authorities scramble to collect hundreds of thousands of dead fish in Volos' tourist port. Displaced by last year's floods, the fish created a silvery, stinking layer. Authorities blame the government for failing to prevent the disaster, which has impacted tourism and raised environmental concerns.

Authorities in Greece are in a race against time to remove hundreds of thousands of dead fish from the tourist port in Volos, a central city affected by the aftermath of last year's historic flooding. The displaced fish had created a silvery blanket across the port, causing a stench that worried residents and officials.

City council member Stelios Limnios and Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos highlighted the severity of the situation, as trawlers collected over 40 tonnes of fish within 24 hours. 'It spans kilometers,' Limnios told Reuters, adding that the disaster extended into the heart of the Pagasetic Gulf, a popular tourist zone.

Experts attributed the disaster to a failure to install a protective net at the mouth of the river leading into Volos, allowing freshwater fish to enter the sea and die in the saltwater. With local prosecutors now investigating and the environment ministry silent, the incident underscores the growing impacts of extreme weather linked to climate change.

(With inputs from agencies.)