Tragic Avalanche Claims Lives of Four Hikers in Greece

Sat Dec 27 2025 16:23:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A group of four hikers, including three men and one woman, have tragically lost their lives after an avalanche struck in the Vardousia Mountains of central Greece. The accident unfolded on Christmas Day, and recovery operations have been hampered by challenging weather conditions.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, four hikers were found dead in the Vardousia Mountains of Greece after an avalanche buried them on Christmas Day. The bodies were discovered by fire service teams in difficult terrain at high altitude. Authorities said weather conditions played a major role in the tragedy, which quickly escalated from seemingly favorable to perilous. Recovery efforts are ongoing as officials navigate extreme conditions to retrieve the victims.

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 found on Friday evening after a large-scale search 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 said the group was swept away by an avalanche.

Authorities said the hikers had begun their ascent in favourable weather, but conditions quickly worsened due to the altitude and the area's terrain.

Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, told the BBC the alarm was raised by a friend of the three men after they failed to return at the expected time.

Weather conditions were extremely difficult, with low temperatures and poor visibility, making it hard for drones and helicopters to detect anything.

A fire service ground team 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 expected to take part in the climb.

Recovery efforts were underway on Saturday, described as an extremely challenging operation.

One of the bodies was successfully airlifted by helicopter, while efforts continued to move the remaining three to a nearby plateau for retrieval.

Haris Asariotakis, head of the Hellenic Rescue Team mission at the scene, noted the location's difficulty, being about three hours from the village of Athanasios Diakos at an altitude of 2,000m.

If the helicopter cannot reach the area, teams will descend on foot with firefighters and mountain guides.

Additional reporting by Kostas Koukoumakas