Teenager dies at Dermata Waterfalls in Veria after falling into cold water during vacation

Incident at Dermata Waterfalls

On the afternoon of 27 August 2026, an 18-year-old resident of Athens named Katerina died during an excursion to Dermata Waterfalls in the Makedonida municipal unit of Veria, northern Greece. The teenager was visiting the regional unit of Imathia for summer holidays, staying in the mountain area where her family maintains roots across the villages of Sfikia and Rizomata. The excursion occurred on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, which marked her coming of age, while walking in the area with a 17-year-old male companion. While the two were taking photographs beside the waterfall, she fell into the water basin and was swept under by currents. Her companion initially thought the fall was a joke, but upon realizing she was in serious danger, he attempted to drag her out of the river before calling emergency services.

Emergency response and recovery operation

The Fire Service Operations Center received the alert at approximately 16:15 following a phone call placed to the 112 emergency number. Dispatchers utilized immediate digital geolocation from the call to direct emergency crews directly to the isolated location. The operation mobilized 12 firefighters with three vehicles from the Makedonida Volunteer Fire Station and the Veria Fire Service, alongside four divers from the 2nd EMAK Underwater Rescue Team. Divers entered the plunge pool formed beneath the waterfall to conduct a submerged search. The EMAK team located the teenager beneath the surface and extracted her unconscious body, transferring her immediately to waiting paramedics from the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAB).

Medical hypotheses and police inquiry

Greek authorities initiated an investigation to determine the exact sequence of events and the physiological cause of death. Reporting across Greek outlets identified her as either 17 or 18 years old, noting a prior medical history of epilepsy. Investigators are evaluating whether she suffered an epileptic seizure before slipping, or whether she experienced sudden cardiac arrest upon entering the freezing river waters. Officers from the Hellenic Police took a formal sworn statement from the 17-year-old companion who witnessed the incident, and the local public prosecutor was formally notified. A forensic autopsy and post-mortem examination have been scheduled to establish whether drowning, cold-shock cardiac arrest, or an epileptic episode caused the fatality.

Impact on local communities

The fatal incident caused profound mourning across the municipalities connected to the family in Imathia. The victim, who permanently resided in Athens with her family, had returned to the area where her father was raised in Sfikia and her grandmother lives in Rizomata. Only hours before the accident, she had posted photographs of the natural scenery at the waterfall to social media accounts. Local residents in both Sfikia and Rizomata expressed disbelief over the sudden loss on the eve of the young woman's birthday. The completed forensic report will be submitted to the prosecutor as administrative inquiries conclude.