THOUSANDS have been left stranded and two dead after gale force winds have pummelled Greece.
Travel plans have been disrupted for hundreds of tourists bound for a number of holiday hotspot islands, including Mykonos and Naxos.
A sailing ban has been issued as authorities have urged travellers to seek alternative routes amid raging winds across the islands.
The restriction does not apply, however, to ferries heading to and from the nearby Saronic Gulf islands.
The civil protection ministry reported that wind gusts are expected to reach speeds of 88 kilometers (54 miles) per hour, particularly affecting the southern Aegean and the Sea of Crete, causing travel disruptions for thousands of tourists.
Meanwhile, passengers are suffering mounting queues thanks to dozens of cancelled ferries at the ports of Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio.
Boats for Syros, Tiros and popular party island Mykono will not head out today but scheduled routes from Piraeus on Saturday will depart as planned.
Trips to Syros, Mykonos, Evdilos, Karlovasi have also been cancelled today due to the adverse weather.
Meanwhile, two Vietnamese tourists died at sea in Greece on Friday, the coastguard said, as gale-force winds lashed the island.
“They were Vietnamese tourists on a cruise ship group. The woman fell in the water and the man apparently tried to save her,” a spokesperson said.
Authorities have recovered the woman’s body, but they are still searching for the man’s as investigations into the circumstances of their deaths continue.
The coastguard announced today that most ferries were unable to depart on time from Piraeus and other Athens ports, particularly affecting routes to the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands.
Maritime connections with the Saronic islands near Athens including Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Spetses and the Ionian Sea are unaffected, it added.
Additionally, the Athens National Observatory has issued warnings about a “very high potential for wind-driven forest fires,” especially in the eastern and southern regions of the country.
On Thursday, the mayor of Athens closed the National Garden following an incident where a tree fell on one of the capital’s busiest shopping streets, narrowly avoiding injury to passersby.
Forecasters suggest the adverse weather conditions will hold until Saturday with strong winds a common occurrence in Greece at this time of year.
This situation unfolds as over 200 firefighters, supported by three aircraft and five helicopters, are battling a fire in Keratea, east of Athens, which is being exacerbated by the powerful wind gusts.
Multiple communities were forced to evacuate as strong winds fanned the flames across stretches of the Greek town, local firefighters said.
Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, told ERT state television: “It’s a difficult fire…(owing) to wind gusts.”
National weather service EMY said the phenomenon would weaken after midnight.
