German holidaymaker dies in balcony crash in Greece

Corinth (Greece) – It was supposed to be a sunny Easter holiday on the Aegean. It ended in catastrophe for a family of five from Germany. A dilapidated balcony collapsed near a sidewalk. The 43-year-old mother was hit by the rubble and fatally injured.

The accident happened on Holy Saturday in Corinth, around 70 kilometers west of Athens. The family had eaten at a restaurant near the beach that afternoon. At around 3 p.m. they made their way back to their car. As they walked along the sidewalk, a sudden crack was heard. A balcony broke off and hit the 43-year-old with full force. The German suffered head injuries so severe that the… Emergency service couldn’t help her anymore.

Mother buried under masses of concrete

In front of her family, the woman was buried under a “huge amount of concrete, cement and building rubble,” Greek media report. Emergency services rescued her motionless body from the rubble. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

One of her three children was also injured. The 10-year-old boy suffered a head injury, which, according to “iefimerida”, was clarified using a computer tomography. The father and the two other children (4, 7) were lucky in misfortune: they remained almost uninjured, but are in shock.

Contractor and engineer arrested

The contractor and the engineer have already been arrested, according to the Korinthostv news portal. The owner is still being searched for. The authorities in Greece initiated an investigation. They are investigating whether negligence or safety deficiencies led to the tragedy.

According to reports, the building has been empty for a long time and is considered at risk of collapse. Work on the balcony is said to have only recently been carried out. Residents complained because there were no warning signs, barriers or safety tape in place. The mother’s autopsy has been ordered, the results are still pending.