State of emergency in Greece as thousands of dead fish collect around Volos port

euronews (in English)

The freshwater fish filled both the bay and nearby rivers after they were displaced from their normal habitats by floodwater last year which was followed by months of severe drought.

Transcript

00:00More than 100 tons of dead fish has washed into the central port of Volos.

00:07The freshwater fish have filled both the bay and nearby rivers after they were displaced

00:12from their normal habitats by flooding last year.

00:16Fishing trawlers have been chartered by regional authorities along with earthmovers to scoop

00:20the fish out of the sea and load them onto trucks where they will be taken to an incinerator.

00:26We are in cooperation with all the people who want to help this phenomenon to end as

00:32soon as possible.

00:34Our region asked for the approval of the law in case of emergency.

00:39Water levels rose abruptly last autumn during a storm that caused extensive flooding in

00:44central Greece but have since receded due to low rainfall and successive heatwaves this

00:49summer.

00:50Experts say a net wasn't placed at the mouth of the river leading into Volos so when the

00:54freshwater fish were carried with the flood water they died when they came into contact

00:59with seawater.

01:01The mayor of Volos accused regional authorities of acting too slowly and said the rotting

01:05fish could cause an environmental disaster.

01:09And the city's chamber of commerce said it was taking legal action to seek damages after

01:13commercial activity in the popular tourist destination dropped by an estimated 80 percent

01:18over the last three days.

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