Four hikers who went missing on Christmas Day have been found dead after being buried by an avalanche in the snow-covered Vardousia Mountains in central Greece.
The bodies of three men and a woman were discovered on Friday evening following extensive search efforts in the mountainous region of Fokida, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT.
Fire service teams located the bodies partially covered by snow on a steep and inaccessible slope near the summit of Korakas peak, at an altitude of about 2,000m (6,561ft). Rescue officials stated that the group was swept away by the avalanche.
Authorities reported that the hikers had initiated their ascent in favorable weather, but conditions rapidly deteriorated due to altitude and challenging terrain.
Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, revealed that a friend raised the alarm after the three men failed to return as expected.
Weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and poor visibility, he noted, adding that this hampered the effectiveness of drones and helicopters during the search.
A ground team from the fire service later found the bodies of the three men and a woman, who was confirmed to be a friend of one of them and had not been anticipated to join the hike.
Recovery efforts were underway on Saturday, described as an extremely challenging operation. One body was airlifted by helicopter, while efforts continued to move the remaining three to a nearby plateau for recovery via winch.
Haris Asariotakis, head of the Hellenic Rescue Team mission at the scene, emphasized the difficulties posed by the location, stating, It is about three hours from the village of Athanasios Diakos, at an altitude of 2,000m. If the helicopter is unable to reach the area, we will descend on foot together with firefighters and mountain guides.
Additional reporting by Kostas Koukoumakas
