Dangerous pastimes of tourists: how the only forest on the island of Hydra was destroyed (2 photos + 1 video)

26 June 2024

Tourists sometimes really know no boundaries in their vacation. One piece of evidence of this erupted in Greece over the weekend. 17 travelers from Kazakhstan launched fireworks from a yacht, and it flew to the forest on the island of Hydra (also sometimes Hydra, orig. Ύδρα). As a result, a powerful fire started.

Hydra has long been loved by tourists thanks to its ancient architecture, landscapes and boat trips, but the island is not rich in vegetation

According to local media, the fireworks hit the only forested area on the arid island of Hydra, off the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. As a result, almost the entire forest burned down.

After the incident, Greek authorities arrested 13 crew members of the Persephone yacht, rented by a group of tourists from Kazakhstan, and the ship itself was confiscated.

Despite the strong seas, the fire brigade reached the scene quickly enough and, thanks to air support, quickly localized the fire. However, most of the island's only pine forest has burned out.

Now the crew members are accused of careless handling of fire, causing significant damage. In addition, the police asked the landlord for a license to set off fireworks, but he did not have one.

The picturesque, historic island of Hydra is essentially a rock formation with very little vegetation and only one main settlement, where all motorized vehicles are prohibited. However, this ban has also been turned into a tourist attraction on Hydra - instead of taxis, they use mules.

Note that most of Greece is on high alert due to weather conditions - every year outbreaks of forest fires become a real disaster here.