Euthymis Lekkas, speaking on Monday morning (13 July 2026) on Open TV, addressed the recent landslide at Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia and the emergency measures taken to ensure public safety in the area.
Iconic Beach, Complex Risks
“It would be easy to close Myrtos Beach on Kefalonia,” Lekkas said. “But as we all understand, this is one of the world’s most iconic beaches — alongside just two or three others, such as Navagio Beach in Zakynthos and Red Beach in Santorini. Closing it entirely and cutting off access would have enormous consequences for the island’s tourism economy.”
He emphasized that while risks exist, they differ significantly from those at Navagio. “The danger at Myrtos is localized — confined to the edge of the beach — so conditions there are entirely different,” he explained.
‘At the Threshold of Acceptable Risk’
Lekkas added that authorities are currently operating “at the threshold of acceptable risk,” but stressed: “We cannot rule out larger landslides.”
Following a recent meeting of the Civil Protection Risk Assessment Committee — convened specifically in response to the Myrtos slides — several emergency measures were adopted:
- Municipalities responsible for the affected beaches must actively discourage tourist access;
- Tourists must evacuate immediately if new landslides occur;
- Beaches will remain closed following seismic activity or heavy rainfall — based on observed patterns linking such events to slope instability;
- Warning signs are already in place at Myrtos, informing visitors of the landslide risk, as similar incidents have been recorded there in the past.