A 41-year-old French tourist died on Sunday near Balos, in the Chania region of Crete, after collapsing while hiking in high temperatures and intense sunshine.
The woman had gone to the area in the afternoon with her partner. According to information from the Coordination Centre of the Hellenic Fire Service, passed on to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), the couple left their car in a car park at Falasarna and continued on foot towards Balos beach, following the path of a difficult trail.
Despite warning signs in the area prohibiting access, the two tourists took a route which involves a lengthy hike and is particularly demanding because of the rugged terrain.
On their way back, when they were about a kilometre from the car park, the 41-year-old lost consciousness after suffering severe dehydration. Her partner returned to the car to get water and at the same time alerted the authorities by calling 112.
A large-scale operation was then launched to locate and rescue her, involving firefighters from the Kissamos Fire Station and a team from EMODE. The firefighters found the woman unconscious and immediately administered first aid, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until paramedics from the National Emergency Centre (EKAB) arrived.
The EKAB crew continued efforts to revive her and transfered the 41-year-old to hospital. However, according to the authorities, the woman died during transport.
As the Coordination Centre underlined, high temperatures and intense sunshine make hiking on long and demanding routes particularly dangerous.
The Fire Service also stressed that the strain on the body in such weather conditions is extremely high. For this reason, it urged residents and visitors to take particular caution and strictly adhere to safety notices.