UK tourists in Greece warned over 'most serious episode'

UK tourists in Greece have been warned over a dust cloud as incredible images show Athens covered. Authorities in Greece warned the dust concentrations can reduce sunlight and visibility, while increasing levels of fine pollution particles pose health risks.

It marks one of the worst such episodes to hit the country since 2018, officials said. “It’s one of the most serious episodes of dust and sand concentrations from the Sahara since March 21-22, 2018, when the clouds invaded the island of Crete in particular,” said Kostas Lagouvardos, weather research director at the Athens Observatory.

The fire service said on Tuesday evening that a total of 25 wildfires broke out across the country in the past 24 hours. The Greek meteorological service said weather conditions on Tuesday had favored the movement of dust from Africa and this was showing up in “increased concentrations in the atmosphere,” particularly in the south of the country.

READ MORE Martin Lewis issues Barclaycard warning over 'worrying under-the-radar change'

The dust is expected to gradually decrease on Wednesday morning, the service predicted, and from midday onwards it would be “limited to the east.” Cyprus has also been affected by the dust cloud, which comes from the Sahara.

A low-pressure system over northern Africa swept dust over Cyprus several times in mid-April, “darkening skies and reducing air quality,” NASA said Tuesday. An image from NASA’s Terra satellite showed “a shroud of tan” over Cyprus on April 22.

Dust was expected to continue to cross the Mediterranean, impacting both Cyprus and Greece over the next several days, NASA said. The Sahara releases 60 to 200m tonnes of mineral dust a year. While the largest particles come rapidly back down to earth, the smallest can travel thousands of kilometres.

Three people were arrested on the Aegean Sea resort island of Paros on suspicion of accidentally starting a scrub blaze on Monday, Greek authorities added.