Santorini: tourist injured on a tourist boat

A passenger was injured on a tourist passenger boat in the afternoon of Tuesday 18 August in the sea area of ‘Mesa Pigadia’ on Santorini. According to what the local news outlet Naxos Times reports, citing the port authorities, a 61-year-old Brazilian national fell on the boat’s internal staircase and injured her back, with the result that she could not move without help. The crew informed the authorities immediately and the boat headed for the nearest safe berth, so that the injured woman could be collected by a medical team. No injury to any other passenger or crew member was reported, nor any problem with the boat’s buoyancy or operation.

The boat put in at the fishing shelter of Vlychada, on the southern side of the island, where an EKAV ambulance was waiting. The paramedics collected the 61-year-old and took her to Thira General Hospital, where she was given first aid. As became known, the injured woman is to be transferred to a hospital in Attica for further treatment of her injury. That procedure is usual for cases requiring specialist orthopaedic or neurosurgical assessment, as the island hospitals of the Cyclades cover initial treatment and stabilisation and refer to the large centres those cases that need more resources. The Thira Port Authority is carrying out a preliminary investigation to establish the exact circumstances.

The incident comes at a period of very high traffic for the tourist boats of Santorini. The day cruises to the Caldera, the volcanic islets and the beaches of the south run daily with dozens of boats and thousands of passengers, and August is the peak month. In the same context, the port authorities had recently announced that in targeted inspections violations were found on half the tourist boats checked on the island. Those inspections concern mainly the number of people on board, life-saving equipment, seaworthiness certificates and crew composition, elements that determine passenger safety on every voyage.

The Thira Port Authority’s preliminary investigation will show whether the injury was due to an accidental fall or whether it is linked to some omission in the boat’s safety measures, such as lighting or the non-slip protection of the stairs. Until it is completed, responsibility has not been attributed to anyone and no arrest or filing of a case has been announced. Nor has the 61-year-old’s condition after her transfer been made known, or the length of her stay in hospital. The port authorities of the Cyclades are continuing daily inspections of tourist boats until the end of the summer season, with an emphasis on boats running day trips with large numbers of passengers.