Four hikers found dead after avalanche in central Greece

Four hikers who went missing on Christmas Day have been found buried by an avalanche in the snow-covered Valducia mountains in central Greece.

The bodies of three men and a woman were found on Friday night after a massive search in the mountainous area of ​​Phokida, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported.

Firefighters found the partially snow-covered body on a steep and inaccessible slope near the summit of Coracas, about 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) above sea level. Rescue officials said the group was swept away by an avalanche.

Authorities said the hikers began climbing the mountain in favorable weather, but conditions quickly deteriorated due to the altitude and the area’s terrain.

Greek fire service spokesman Vasilis Vathrakogiannis told the BBC that the trio failed to return at the expected time and one of their friends raised the alarm.

“The weather conditions were extremely harsh, with low temperatures and low visibility,” he said, adding that this made it difficult for both drones and helicopters to detect anything.

He said fire ground teams later discovered the bodies of three men and a woman, who was confirmed to be a friend of one of them and was not expected to participate in the climb.

Recovery efforts were underway Saturday in what officials described as an extremely challenging operation.

One of the bodies was successfully airlifted by helicopter. Efforts continued to move the remaining three to nearby plateau so they could be fished out using a winch.

Haris Asariotakis, head of the Greek rescue team at the scene, said the location was particularly difficult.

“It takes about three hours to reach the village of Athanasios Diakos, which is 2,000 meters above sea level,” he said. “If the helicopter is unable to reach the area, we will descend on foot with firefighters and mountain guides.”

Additional reporting by Kostas Cucumakas