A confrontation between two elderly men over a sunbed on an Athenian Riviera beach on Sunday morning ended in tragedy with the death of one of the men involved.
According to initial information from Greek authorities, shortly before 10 am at the popular Akti Vouliagmenis beach, a 76-year-old man, who was accompanied by a 21-year-old woman, first had a heated argument with an 82-year-old over a spot on the beach which led to a fight.
During the scuffle, the 82-year-old collapsed and it was found that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. A nurse on duty at the beach tried to revive him with CPR and a defibrillator. The victim was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The 76-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing fatal bodily injury, while the 21-year-old woman with him was released.
In recent years as tourism has boomed in Greece, disputes have increased over the practice of “reserving” sunbeds, which deprives other swimmers of the chance to find an available seat on the beach.
At the same time, public anger has been mounting over the exorbitant prices charged for sunbeds on or near the seafront, especially in popular destinations such as Attica.
Private businesses occupy large stretches of prime coastline and fill them with sunbeds that often illegally exceed the limits of their permits, shutting out people who simply want to lay their towel on the sand and enjoy the beach free of charge.
The well-known “towel movement,” a spontaneous citizens’ initiative that started on the island of Paros to defend free access to the public space of beaches, quickly spread throughout Greece.
Recently, Greek authorities announced that they are using drones, satellite imagery and a complaints app (MyCoast) to track down illegal sunbeds.
By law, at least 70% of every beach must remain unobstructed (or 85% in protected areas), and sunbeds must be placed at least 4 metres from the shoreline.