Authorities were alerted in the early hours of Friday, 26 December, when the Fire Service Operations Centre received information about three missing people near the village of Athanasios Diakos. A large-scale search was launched, involving around 30 firefighters, EMAK mountain rescue units, a tracked vehicle, a drone, a Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (EKSED) helicopter, police forces, and assistance from the Hellenic Mountaineering and Climbing Federation and the Hellenic Rescue Team.
After hours of searching in snow-covered, highly unstable terrain, rescuers located four people, three men and one woman, unconscious. The area is extremely steep and exposed, with vertical slopes that made the operation particularly hazardous.
The group had reportedly set out on Christmas Day. Contact with them was lost late in the afternoon, prompting a friend to notify authorities. Their vehicle was found earlier in the day. Initial indications suggest they were caught in an avalanche in an area with fresh, unstable snow.
Experienced rescuers note that even minor vibrations or noise can trigger avalanches in such conditions, especially when sunlight follows heavy snowfall. Investigations into the precise circumstances of the accident are ongoing.
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