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Dead fish blanket Greek traveler port after flooding

Greek authorities have started gathering numerous countless dead fish that poured into a tourist port in the main city of Volos this week after being displaced from their normal freshwater environments during flooding in 2015.

The floating carcasses created a silvery blanket throughout the port and a stink that alarmed homeowners and authorities who raced to scoop them up before the smell reached close by dining establishments and hotels.

It spans kilometers, city council member Stelios Limnios told Reuters. It's not simply along the coast, however likewise in the center of the Pagasetic Gulf, he said, referring to the area offshore Volos whose coast is lined with holiday homes.

On Wednesday, trawlers dragged nets to collect the fish that were then discarded in the back of trucks. More than 40 tonnes have been collected in the last 24 hours, authorities said.

Volos mayor Achilleas Beos stated the odor was unbearable. Throughout an interview on Wednesday he blamed the government for not handling the problem before it reached his city. He said that decaying fish could create an ecological catastrophe for other types in the area.

Experts said the problem was triggered by historic floods last year that swamped Thessaly airplane further north, consisting of rivers and lakes. A web was not placed at the mouth of the river leading into Volos, they stated. When the fish fulfilled the sea, the saltwater most likely killed them.

They didn't do the obvious, to put a protective internet, mayor Beos stated, referring to government services.

The environment ministry did not react to a request for comment. Local district attorneys have actually purchased an investigation.

The catastrophe is the current impact of severe weather in Greece that researchers connect to environment change, including greater temperatures and erratic rainfall that trigger wildfires and flooding.

Dimosthenis Bakoyiannis, 33, who owns a beach restaurant 10 km (6 miles) from Volos, states his turnover dropped 80% this summertime as fewer tourists wanted to check out after the flooding.

Closing the barrier now doesn't assist, he said. Now it's. too late, the traveler season is over..

(source: Reuters)