Landslide at famed Greek ‘shipwreck’ beach injures 7

People embark a vessel after a landslide occurred at the popular beach of Navagio, or Shipwreck Beach, on the western island of Zakynthos, Greece, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Greek authorities say a landslide at a popular beach on the western island of Zakynthos has resulted in at least one injury, while coast guard officials were seeking to determine whether there were any people missing. (imerazante.gr via AP)

Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece

A section of a cliff fell onto a popular secluded beach on the western Greek island of Zakynthos Thursday, injuring seven people, including a woman who suffered a spinal injury, authorities said.

Local media said witnesses reported that a large rock initially fell from a cliff into the sea at Navagio Beach, or Shipwreck Beach, on the northwestern coast of the island, creating a large wave that capsized small boats.

The cove, accessible only by sea, features limestone cliffs towering above the beach of white sand and crystalline water made famous by the wreckage of a small cargo ship washed up on the beach since the 1980s.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 8, 2017 file photo, people enjoy the popular beach of Navagio, or Shipwreck Beach, on the western island of Zakynthos, Greece. Greek authorities on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, say a landslide at a popular beach on the western island of Zakynthos has resulted in at least one injury, while coast guard officials were seeking to determine whether there were any people missing. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)

Fire department rescue crews headed to the area accompanied by a sniffer dog, while the coast guard evacuated the beach and banned boats from approaching until further notice. Authorities later said everyone who had arrived at the beach on tourist boats had been accounted for.

A total of seven people were treated in hospital for injuries, including a 34-year-old Czech woman with a fractured vertebra, the government said in a statement. The woman’s husband and two children were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The other three people injured were treated and released.

Small boats are capsized after a landslide occurred at the popular beach of Navagio, or Shipwreck Beach, on the western island of Zakynthos, Greece, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Greek authorities say a landslide at a popular beach on the western island of Zakynthos has resulted in at least one injury, while coast guard officials were seeking to determine whether there were any people missing. (imerazante.gr via AP)