Eight National Park employees trapped in the Samaria Gorge by floods in Crete

Eight employees of the Samaria National Park have been trapped inside the famous gorge in the Chania region, in western Crete, since Friday. Torrential rains have caused strong flows of water inside the gorge, making any safe exit impossible, as Crete Tip writes.

According to the latest update from the Civil Protection Authority of the Region of Crete, all eight employees are in good health and are in a safe place inside the gorge. They have sufficient food supplies until the middle of the week, when weather conditions are expected to calm down.

Additional firefighter forces arrived in Chania on Friday. According to the authorities, specialised rescue units have been deployed: the 6th EMAK water rescue team with boats, a tracked armoured vehicle and a boat of the 1st EMAK, as well as a special motorised firefighting unit with pumping systems, stationed in Vrysses.

Meanwhile, Crete is experiencing its third consecutive day of heavy flooding. On Saturday a new 112 emergency alert was sent for the Mylopotamos area, while torrential rainfall also hit Heraklion. The island remains in a “Red Code” state of mobilisation, with the authorities calling on residents to exercise maximum caution.