Three Journalists Hospitalized After Stairs Collapse at Greek Airport Ceremony

Three media professionals have been hospitalized after a mobile boarding staircase collapsed beneath them on the tarmac at Araxos Airport in southern Greece, where journalists had gathered to cover the ceremonial first tourist flight of the season.

The accident occurred as reporters, cameramen and photographers climbed the stairs to secure a better vantage point for the arrival of a TUI

The structure gave way under their combined weight, sending several people crashing to the ground.

A female journalist from Athens, a cameraman and a photojournalist based in Patras sustained limb injuries and were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Several other reporters suffered minor scrapes but did not require medical attention.

Airport authorities launched an immediate investigation into the structural integrity of the equipment and whether safety protocols were breached by allowing multiple people to occupy the stairs simultaneously.

Giorgos Vilos, an official involved in regional airport management, confirmed that the facility's safety standards are under urgent review.

Mr. Vilos said the focus had shifted entirely from the season-opening celebration to the welfare of the injured workers.

Terminal operations were briefly disrupted before returning to normal.

The incident casts a shadow over the start of what Greek tourism authorities are hoping will be a record summer season, with western Greece — and the broader Peloponnese region — among the destinations being actively promoted to international visitors.

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Three media professionals have been hospitalized after a mobile boarding staircase collapsed beneath them on the tarmac at Araxos Airport in southern Greece, where journalists had gathered to cover the ceremonial first tourist flight of the season.

The accident occurred as reporters, cameramen and photographers climbed the stairs to secure a better vantage point for the arrival of a TUI aircraft named Patra — the inaugural flight of the summer season at the western Greek airport.

The structure gave way under their combined weight, sending several people crashing to the ground.

A female journalist from Athens, a cameraman and a photojournalist based in Patras sustained limb injuries and were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Several other reporters suffered minor scrapes but did not require medical attention.

Airport authorities launched an immediate investigation into the structural integrity of the equipment and whether safety protocols were breached by allowing multiple people to occupy the stairs simultaneously.

Giorgos Vilos, an official involved in regional airport management, confirmed that the facility's safety standards are under urgent review.

Mr. Vilos said the focus had shifted entirely from the season-opening celebration to the welfare of the injured workers.

Terminal operations were briefly disrupted before returning to normal.

The incident casts a shadow over the start of what Greek tourism authorities are hoping will be a record summer season, with western Greece — and the broader Peloponnese region — among the destinations being actively promoted to international visitors.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr