A dispute over a spot on a beach in Greece escalated into a violent brawl. An 82-year-old man lost consciousness and later died in hospital.
The tragedy took place on a beach in Vouliagmeni, near Athens.
According to eyewitnesses, the 82-year-old man initially had an argument with a 76-year-old man over a sun lounger.
The situation quickly spiralled out of control. The argument turned into a brawl, and soon other people became involved in the altercation.
One witness told the Kathimerini newspaper that the beach descended into utter chaos – the shouting could even be heard at the other end of the beach.
In the heat of the conflict, the 82-year-old man suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.
People nearby tried to help him. According to several local media outlets, even before the ambulance arrived, they began performing CPR and used a defibrillator.
The man was taken to hospital, but attempts to save him were unsuccessful. He died.
How the brawl began
One eyewitness suggested that the deceased had taken a sun lounger in advance because he was waiting for someone. This was probably what triggered the initial argument.
A 76-year-old man, who, according to preliminary reports, was involved in the altercation, was arrested. A 21-year-old woman was with him. She was also arrested but was subsequently released.
Eyewitnesses told the newspaper Ta Nea that the woman’s face was bruised and swollen.
Law enforcement officers are now investigating exactly what happened on the beach.
They are trying to establish the immediate cause of the 82-year-old man’s death.
The battle for sun loungers, familiar to millions of tourists
Disputes over sun loungers on beaches and by swimming pools are hardly a rarity. For many tourists, this is one of the most irritating aspects of their holiday.
Some people arrive at the pool at dawn, place a towel on a sun lounger, and then go for breakfast or back to sleep. Other holidaymakers arrive later and find dozens of free spots that are, technically, already ‘reserved’.
Because of this practice, holidaymakers regularly fall out with one another, whilst hotels and resorts try to come up with rules that would help avoid conflicts.
Previously, videos appeared on social media showing tourists in the Canary Islands who literally spent the night or slept on sun loungers by the pools so as not to lose their spot.
Photo credit: Getty Images
In 2024, a tourist from Germany took a tour operator to court following a holiday in Greece. The man claimed that he was unable to use the sun loungers at his hotel on the island of Kos properly because other guests would reserve them with towels every morning.
According to him, he even woke up at six in the morning to try and secure a spot, but still ‘lost that battle’.
On his return home, the tourist filed a claim against the tour operator at the Hanover District Court.
He claimed that the hotel officially prohibited guests from ‘reserving’ sun loungers with towels, but the tour operator had not done enough to ensure that this rule was actually enforced.
The man claimed that, because the sun loungers were constantly occupied, his children were forced to sunbathe on the ground.
The tour operator had already paid the tourist €350 in compensation. However, the court ruled that this was insufficient and awarded him a further €986.70.
The judge noted that the tour operator does not own the hotel and cannot guarantee every guest their own sun lounger.
Nevertheless, in the court’s view, it must still ensure that the holiday conditions at the hotel meet the advertised standard. In particular, this concerns a reasonable ratio between the number of sun loungers and the number of guests.
Putting an end to ‘towel reservations’
The problem is so widespread that some travel companies and hotels are attempting to resolve it through specific rules.
For example, Thomas Cook Tourism offers customers the option of booking a spot by the pool in advance for an additional fee.
In Spain, some holiday resorts have gone even further. There, tourists can be fined if they reserve a sun lounger with a towel or personal belongings and then leave it empty for a long time.