Gunshots left three individuals injured on Friday night at a beach bar in Greece’s Chalkidiki region.
The incident took place at a beach bar packed with tourists and locals in the popular tourist village of Hanioti in northern Greece’s tourist hotspot of Chalkidiki.
This unusual confrontation led to three individuals being seriously injured and rushed to nearby hospitals.
More specifically and according to the local Thestival website, all three injured individuals were Bulgarian nationals who were probably vacationing in the Chalkidiki region.
It has to be noted that Chalkidiki is a popular holiday destination for tourists from Balkan and central European countries, particularly those who wish to drive and enjoy a Greek summer getaway.
No official statement from the local police has been released so far. However, local media reported that one of the three individuals who were injured suffered severe wounds from the shooting in their chest area.
There is conflicting information from local media reports about the nature of the wounds of the other two individuals. Ioannis Kolokythas, a local volunteer first responder posted on Facebook graphic photographs of the scene.
”At approximately 24:00 I was notified of a serious incident involving shots and several people being injured at a beach bar in our area,” Kolokythas said in his post.
”I arrived at the scene less than two minutes after I was called as a first responder in full gear. I immediately focused on the unfortunate man who had received a bullet to his chest,” the local first responder noted.
Local police arrived at the scene only to find panicked customers running away from the beach bar following the shootings.
Those injured were rushed to the nearby Kassandreia Health Center. The injuries sustained by the man who had been shot were deemed too severe so he was rushed to the General Hospital of the capital of Chalkidiki, Polygyros.
According to media reports, a total of five individuals have been arrested, three of which are being hospitalized in the hospital of Polygyros.
Where is Chalkidiki, the place where the gunshots were fired
Chalkidiki is the most popular and well-known summer tourist destination in the northern part of the Greek mainland.
It is the county with the characteristic ”three legs” of the north side of the mainland, one of which is the autonomous monastic community of the holy mountain Mount Athos, also known as Agio Oros.
Hanioti is located in the Kassandra part of the region, also known as ”the first leg”. It is particularly popular amongst Greeks and foreigners as it home to many beautiful restaurants, shops and nightclubs among others.
Chalkidiki is among the top destinations for northern Greeks, who rush to the area every summer. Thessaloniki and nearby towns and cities are the primary sources of tourists for Chalkidiki.
Along with thousands of tourists from North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and other Balkan nations, Chalkidiki is among Greece’s top mainland destinations.
