Zakynthos Mayor George Stasinopoulos speaking to Greek state broadcaster ERT about the deteriorating state of the shipwreck on the Greek island.
One of Greece’s most iconic attractions and one of the most instagrammed sites in the world, the shipwreck on Navagio beach on Zakynthos is facing decay due extreme weather conditions and is in danger of disappearing.
Access to the beach was banned last summer after experts said successive landslides raised safety concerns. The popular beach was also closed off in 2022 due to safety risks and in 2018 after a landslide injured seven people.
Commenting on the news, Zakynthos Mayor George Stasinopoulos said the 43-year-old shipwreck known as “Panagiotis” was covered in sand and that failure to agree on an action plan among local bodies responsible for the site and red tape had led to neglect.
Screenshot of Ionian News coverage of the current state of the shipwreck on Zakynthos.
Meanwhile, speaking on public television, Efthymios Lekkas, the president of the National Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (EPPO), said the waves were endangering the shipwreck.
“We’re watching the destruction by strong waves of a unique landmark which has essentially been abandoned… it’s already in pieces,” he said, adding that the beach and its shipwreck may soon disappear due to failure to take serious protection measures.
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Stasinopoulos said he was in contact with government bodies and had requested that the responsibility for the preservation of the site be handed over to the municipality. The island’s mayor went on to add that experts and technology can save the Zakynthos’ iconic shipwreck as long as there were coordinated efforts.
“The government must allow us to intervene. We are in contact with the ministry to get all the relevant permits,” he said.
