ATHENS – Greece’s spring and summer has become deadly for tourists: dying on hikes, disappearing on islands, the toll increasing after a 23-year-old Briton died after falling off a balcony on Zakynthos and a 20-year-old South African diver drowned off the island of Kefalonia.

The British tourist wasn’t named but the British newspaper The Independent, citing local media, said the incident happened in the overrun town of Laganas, falling just 5 feet from a balcony he was trying to climb, dying at a hospital.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/zante-greece-balcony-death-british-tourist-b2578827.html

The island is a favorite for Britons and known for violence, hooliganism, drunkenness and tragedy, 22-year-old American tourist Bakari Henderson beaten to death there in 2017.

A search off Kefalonia led to the discovery of the body of Benjamin Bezuidenhout, who had gone diving there and was said to have been working on a catamaran for a boat company at the time of the incident, said News24.

The site said that the victim apparently free-dived into the sea north of Sami, in the vicinity of the island of Kefalonia and had gone into the sea with just a snorkel and mask, no indication what happened to him.

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/tragic-end-to-search-body-of-20-year-old-south-african-man-found-off-greek-coast-20240713

The Greek Coast Guard conducted a search and his family appealed on social media for help before his body was found. The search also included private vessels, a diver, and an Air Force helicopter.

The body was found where he had gone into the water, the report said, speculation that he may have been caught in a current and struck a rock. His mother posted on social media of the family’s grief over the loss.

“They were anchored … very close to shore. He went for a swim and didn’t get back on the boat. He loves exploring, so he could … on-shore and maybe got hurt on the rock. We don’t (know.) He didn’t tell anyone he was going to shore. He was last seen in the water.”