Man dies after falling tree crushes him on Chalkidiki beach in Skala Fourkas
A 64- to 65-year-old man died on Thursday after a tree collapsed on a beach in Skala Fourkas, prompting an investigation by the Kassandra Police Department into root system failure.
Incident at the Skala Fourkas coastline
A fatal accident occurred on Thursday, 1 October 2026, in the coastal settlement of Skala Fourkas on the Kassandra peninsula in Chalkidiki. At approximately 15:45 in the afternoon, a large tree fell in a beach area where visitors were present. The victim, identified in initial reports as a man aged 64 or 65, was struck directly by the falling trunk. Other individuals standing near the victim at the time witnessed the tree begin to give way and managed to move clear of the impact zone. The victim was unable to escape the path of the falling tree before it pinned him to the ground, while the accompanying bystanders avoided physical injuries.
Mobilization of emergency services
Witnesses placed an emergency call through the European emergency number 112 to report the collapse and request assistance for the trapped man. The call initiated a response across regional emergency and rescue services. Four personnel from the Hellenic Rescue Team deployed to the beach location to conduct an extraction operation. Rescuers freed the man and pulled him out from underneath the fallen timber in an unconscious state. Emergency medical personnel took over care at the site and placed him in an ambulance for transport to the nearest regional hospital facility.
- A tree collapses on a beach in Skala Fourkas, fatally pinning a man aged 64 or 65.
- Bystanders place a 112 call, dispatching four Hellenic Rescue Team members to the scene.
- Rescuers pull the unconscious victim from under the tree for ambulance transfer.
- Physicians at Polygyros Hospital confirm the victim's death.
- The Kassandra Police Department begins a preliminary inquiry into root degradation.
Hospital declaration and site inspection
The ambulance transported the unconscious victim to Polygyros Hospital, the primary medical facility for the Chalkidiki regional unit. Upon arrival at the emergency department, attending physicians examined the man and officially certified his death. Following the extraction, members of the rescue team carried out an initial visual examination of the collapsed tree and the surrounding beach environment. Rescuers observed that moderate winds were blowing across the coastal area during the afternoon, though a responding rescue team member noted that wind levels were not of notable intensity. The preliminary inspection of the fallen tree indicated that its root system had suffered prior structural deterioration before the collapse occurred.
Police inquiry into root failure
The Kassandra Police Department assumed formal responsibility for the case and opened a preliminary investigation into the fatal incident. Police officers are examining the physical factors that caused the tree to uproot and fall in a public coastal area. The investigation includes collecting statements from the uninjured witnesses who saw the tree start to tip, as well as reviewing rescue assessments regarding the condition of the root network. Authorities are working to determine whether the tree showed exterior signs of instability prior to Thursday afternoon and whether soil or environmental factors contributed to the failure of the root foundation.
