Fthiotida: second war shell found at Marmara

A second piece of war ordnance has been found in the area of Marmara, in the Municipality of Makrakomi in western Fthiotida, a few days after an old shell was found on a plot of land in the same village. According to LamiaReport, which published the information on Friday 21 August 2026 at 08:16, it is a Second World War military mortar shell. The shell was found lodged in a tree, on the provincial road from Marmara to Kolokythia and roughly 1.5 kilometres past Marmara. Its disposal was undertaken by an Army team, specifically from the 695ABP, the unit that deals with such finds in the wider area. The first find had been located on a plot inside the settlement, while the second was found outside it, at a spot vehicles pass every day.

For the purposes of the operation, the Fthiotida Police Directorate issued a decision on temporary traffic measures. The decision provides for a complete halt to traffic for all vehicles on the provincial road from Marmara to Kolokythia, from the entrance of the village of Marmara up to and including the village of Kolokythia. The measures took effect at 11:00 on Thursday 20 August 2026 and, as the decision states, extend until the operation is completed, with no specific end date set. Vehicle traffic was routed along bypass roads, through the rest of the road network of the Municipality of Makrakomi. Choosing a complete closure, rather than measures at set hours, indicates that the safety zone around the site extended along the whole length of the stretch between the two settlements.

The closure affects the main road link between the two villages, which is why the movement of residents and visitors shifted to the rest of the municipality’s network, with longer journeys. This is a mountainous part of western Fthiotida, where alternative routes are limited. The same outlet notes that other old war remnants may still lie buried in the village, without citing any official assessment or record. Two finds within a short period make this a matter of local safety rather than an isolated incident, at least as the report describes it. For residents, the practical result was the temporary loss of the direct route to Kolokythia for as long as the measures lasted.

It has not been announced whether the disposal operation has been completed, nor when traffic on the provincial road was restored. Nor has it been made known whether a systematic search of the wider area for similar finds is planned, and no announcement has been made public about the origin of this particular shell. The report mentions no injuries or damage. The two finds were made at different points in the same village, in one case on a plot of land and in the other on the provincial road itself. More reporting from the Greek regions in the Society section. Until there is further information from the authorities, residents of the area remain dependent on the bypass routes set out in the police decision.