Vardousia: The bodies of the four mountaineers have been recovered

The lifeless bodies of the four mountaineers who lost their lives in the Vardousia Mountains have been recovered. The location where the bodies were found is extremely difficult to access, with steep and vertical slopes, a factor that made the rescue operation particularly challenging.

Four units of the Hellenic Fire Service’s Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK), mountain guides, and volunteer teams were deployed at the scene, while EMAK personnel climbed to higher ground to prepare the victims for airlift evacuation.

After hours of searches, firefighters, in cooperation with members of the Hellenic Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (E.O.O.A.) and the Hellenic Rescue Team (E.O.D.), located the four individuals unconscious — three men and one woman — in a hard-to-reach, snow-covered area. Through coordinated efforts, they were transferred to a safe location and subsequently airlifted by helicopter to the “Kirra” site in Itea, where they were taken over by ambulances of the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAV).

The three factors that led to the tragedy

Speaking about the initial findings of the case, the harsh conditions in the area, and the large-scale search operation, Kostas Tsigas, president of the Union of Fire Service Officers, provided details of what is known so far.

As Mr Tsigas said on the television programme “Savvatokyriako apo tis 5” (“Weekend from 5”), the four mountaineers set out on Christmas Day to climb in the Korakas area, along the ridge of the Vardousia mountain range.

“Four of our fellow citizens set out for mountaineering in the Vardousia area. According to testimonies from local residents and the initial findings of the investigation, it appears they became disoriented,” Mr Tsigas noted.

He explained that the altitude, the rugged terrain, and the weather conditions most likely played a decisive role in the tragedy. “The conditions due to the high altitude and the intense terrain may have forced them to lose their sense of direction,” he said.

“Visibility was extremely low, there was a great deal of snow, and a possible snowstorm may have affected the route they followed,” the president of the Union of Fire Service Officers stressed.

According to Mr Tsigas, fresh snowfall and strong winds may also have shifted large volumes of snow. “Strong winds may have carried a significant mass of snow to the area where they were eventually found,” he added.

Regarding whether the group consisted of experienced mountaineers, he noted that some of them had previously reached the summit; however, the recent snowfall had made it extremely difficult to locate and follow the trails.

Timeline of events

The group of four — including one man from the village of Athanasios Diakos — set off on the morning of Christmas Day from Athanasios Diakos village, heading towards the Korakas peak.

During their ascent, they appear to have been caught in a snowstorm, and shortly afterwards the signal from their mobile phones was lost, making any communication impossible.

Concern among relatives and friends grew when repeated attempts to contact them failed. Initial searches began on Christmas Day by local residents, who found no trace of the group. At 9 p.m. the same evening, the police were notified and rescue forces were immediately mobilised. From that moment, a large-scale search operation was launched on one of the country’s most demanding and dangerous mountains.

A total of 30 firefighters were deployed, including mountaineering teams from the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th EMAK units, a specialised tracked vehicle, the Thessaly drone team, and a helicopter. Mountain guides from the Hellenic Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, as well as volunteers and local residents, also took part in the search.

Their vehicle was located on Thursday (25/12) by the search teams; however, no clues were found that could lead to the discovery of the mountaineers themselves.

Weather conditions in the area — low temperatures, strong winds and heavy snowfall — significantly hampered the rescuers’ efforts.

Despite the extraordinary efforts of the rescue crews, the four were eventually located in an extremely inaccessible area, with reports indicating that the recovery operation was particularly difficult.

It is noted that the Vardousia mountains are an especially demanding mountaineering destination, which in winter leaves no room for error, even for the most experienced climbers.